Full-wavefield inversion of surface waves for mapping embedded low-velocity zones in permafrost
Abstract
Surface waves are advantageous for mapping seismic structures of permafrost, in which irregular velocity gradients are common and thus the effectiveness of refraction methods are limited. Nevertheless, the complex velocity structures that are common in permafrost environments often yield unusual dispersion spectra, in which higher-order and leaky modes are dominant. Such unusual dispersion spectra were prevalent in the multichannel surface-wave data acquired from our permafrost study site at Barrow, Alaska. Owing to the difficulties in picking and identifying dispersion curves from these dispersion spectra, conventional surface-wave inversion methods become problematic to apply. Here, to overcome these difficulties, we adopted a full-wavefield method to invert for velocity models that can best fit the dispersion spectra instead of the dispersion curves. The inferred velocity models were consistent with collocated electric resistivity results and with subsequent confirmation cores, which indicated the reliability of the recovered seismic structures. The results revealed embedded low-velocity zones underlying the ice-rich permafrost at our study site — an unexpected feature considering the low ground temperatures of to . The low velocities in these zones ( lower than the overlying ice-rich permafrost) were most likely caused by saline pore-waters that prevent the ground from freezing, and the resultant velocity structures are vivid examples of complex subsurface properties in permafrost terrain. Finally, we determined that full-wavefield inversion of surface waves, although carrying higher computational costs than conventional methods, can be an effective tool for delineating the seismic structures of permafrost.
- Authors:
-
- Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Earth and Planetary Science
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Earth Sciences Division
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1475001
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231; AC05-00OR22725
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Geophysics
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 79; Journal Issue: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 0016-8033
- Publisher:
- Society of Exploration Geophysicists
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 58 GEOSCIENCES; permafrost; surface wave; near surface; inversion; shear wave (S-wave)
Citation Formats
Dou, Shan, and Ajo-Franklin, Jonathan B. Full-wavefield inversion of surface waves for mapping embedded low-velocity zones in permafrost. United States: N. p., 2014.
Web. doi:10.1190/geo2013-0427.1.
Dou, Shan, & Ajo-Franklin, Jonathan B. Full-wavefield inversion of surface waves for mapping embedded low-velocity zones in permafrost. United States. https://doi.org/10.1190/geo2013-0427.1
Dou, Shan, and Ajo-Franklin, Jonathan B. Tue .
"Full-wavefield inversion of surface waves for mapping embedded low-velocity zones in permafrost". United States. https://doi.org/10.1190/geo2013-0427.1. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1475001.
@article{osti_1475001,
title = {Full-wavefield inversion of surface waves for mapping embedded low-velocity zones in permafrost},
author = {Dou, Shan and Ajo-Franklin, Jonathan B.},
abstractNote = {Surface waves are advantageous for mapping seismic structures of permafrost, in which irregular velocity gradients are common and thus the effectiveness of refraction methods are limited. Nevertheless, the complex velocity structures that are common in permafrost environments often yield unusual dispersion spectra, in which higher-order and leaky modes are dominant. Such unusual dispersion spectra were prevalent in the multichannel surface-wave data acquired from our permafrost study site at Barrow, Alaska. Owing to the difficulties in picking and identifying dispersion curves from these dispersion spectra, conventional surface-wave inversion methods become problematic to apply. Here, to overcome these difficulties, we adopted a full-wavefield method to invert for velocity models that can best fit the dispersion spectra instead of the dispersion curves. The inferred velocity models were consistent with collocated electric resistivity results and with subsequent confirmation cores, which indicated the reliability of the recovered seismic structures. The results revealed embedded low-velocity zones underlying the ice-rich permafrost at our study site — an unexpected feature considering the low ground temperatures of -10°C to -8°C. The low velocities in these zones (~70%–80% lower than the overlying ice-rich permafrost) were most likely caused by saline pore-waters that prevent the ground from freezing, and the resultant velocity structures are vivid examples of complex subsurface properties in permafrost terrain. Finally, we determined that full-wavefield inversion of surface waves, although carrying higher computational costs than conventional methods, can be an effective tool for delineating the seismic structures of permafrost.},
doi = {10.1190/geo2013-0427.1},
journal = {Geophysics},
number = 6,
volume = 79,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Sep 23 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Tue Sep 23 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}
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