Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Seismo-Acoustic Wave Simulation for Earthquake-Generated Infrasound

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1833208· OSTI ID:1833208
 [1]
  1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

It is well known that underground explosions or earthquakes can generate infrasound in the atmosphere. Seismoacoustic coupling between the ground motions and atmosphere is a key mechanism for infrasound generation. Epicentral infrasound which is direct response to epicentral ground motions are extensively studied for event detection and discrimination. Diffracted infrasound generated from Rayleigh waves are often observed and reported. Recent studies suggested the surface topography is also important for infrasound generation, and mountains or topographic peaks can act as effective secondary infrasound sources. In this study, we perform full 3-D seismoacoustic simulations to understand a coupled seismic and acoustic wave generation by an earthquake and energy partitioning across the solid Earthocean-atmosphere system. By including the effects of realistic topography, bathymetry, and earthquake focal mechanism, we provide quantitative information about seismoacoustic wavefields and secondary infrasound sources across the solid-water, solid-air, and water-air interfaces. Acoustic wave transmission across water-air interface is also investigated by using synthetic waveforms. Our study suggests that shallow seas near the coastline or over elevated seafloors can transmit significant amount of energy from acoustic waves in water and can be effective secondary infrasound sources.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1833208
Report Number(s):
LLNL-TR-829538; 1045594
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Seismo-Acoustic Wave Simulation for the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake
Technical Report · Wed Oct 20 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · OSTI ID:1826880

Observations and seismoacoustic simulations of earthquake-generated infrasound waves in non-epicentral regions
Journal Article · Tue Jul 29 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Geophysical Journal International · OSTI ID:2588165

Finite-Difference Simulation for Infrasound Generated by Finite-Extent Ground Motions
Journal Article · Fri Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Seismological Research Letters · OSTI ID:1880955

Related Subjects