skip to main content


Title: Determination of Near Surface Shear‐Wave Velocities in the Central Los Angeles Basin With Dense Arrays
Abstract

In this study, we investigate the shallow shear wave velocity structure of the Los Angeles Basin in southern California, using ambient noise correlations between 5 dense arrays and 21 broadband stations from the Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN). We observe clear fundamental mode and first overtone Rayleigh waves in the frequency band 0.25–2.0 Hz, and obtain group velocity maps through tomography. We further derive a 3D shear wave velocity model, covering a large portion of the central LA Basin for the depths shallower than 3 km. We found that the small scale shallow velocity structure heterogeneities are better resolved compared with the SCEC Community velocity models. Our model captures the presence of the Newport‐Inglewood fault by a NW–SE trending high velocity belt. Our model provides more accurate constraints on local ground motion predictions with detailed mapping of structural heterogeneities.

 
more » « less
NSF-PAR ID:
10361445
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  
Publisher / Repository:
DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
Volume:
126
Issue:
5
ISSN:
2169-9313
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract

    We construct a new shear velocity model for the San Gabriel, Chino and San Bernardino basins located in the northern Los Angeles area using ambient noise correlation between dense linear nodal arrays, broadband stations, and accelerometers. We observe Rayleigh and Love waves in the correlation of vertical (Z) and transverse (T) components, respectively. By combining Hilbert and Wavelet transforms, we obtain the separated fundamental and first higher mode of the Rayleigh wave dispersion curves based on their distinct particle motion polarization. Basin depths constrained by receiver functions, gravity, and borehole data are incorporated into the prior model. Our 3D shear wave velocity model covers the upper 3–5 km of the crust in the San Gabriel, Chino and San Bernardino basin area. The Vs model is in agreement with the geological and geophysical cross‐sections from other studies, but discrepancies exist between our model and a Southern California Earthquake Center community velocity model. Our shear wave velocity model shows good consistency with the CVMS 4.26 in the San Gabriel basin, but predicts a deeper and slower sedimentary basin in the San Bernardino and Chino basins than the community model.

     
    more » « less
  2. Abstract

    A self‐consistent regional‐scale seismic velocity model with resolution from seismogenic depth to the surface is crucial for seismic hazard assessment. Though Southern California is the most seismically imaged region in the world, techniques with high near‐surface sensitivity have been applied only in disparate local areas and have not been incorporated into a unified model with deeper resolution. In the present work, we obtain isotropic values for Rayleigh wave phase velocity and ellipticity in Southern California by cross‐correlating daily time series from the year 2015 across 315 regional stations in period ranges 6 to 18 s. Leveraging the complementary sensitivity of the two Rayleigh wave data sets, we combine H/V and phase velocity measurements to determine a new 3‐D shear velocity model in a Bayesian joint inversion framework. The new model has greatly improved shallow resolution compared to the Southern California Earthquake Center CVMS4.26 reference model. Well‐known large‐scale features common to previous studies are resolved, including velocity contrasts across the San Andreas, San Jacinto, Garlock, and Elsinore faults, midcrustal high‐velocity structure beneath the Mojave Desert, and shallow Moho beneath the Salton Trough. Other prominent features that have previously only been imaged in focused local studies include the correct sedimentary thickness of the southern Central Valley, fold structure of the Ventura and Oak Ridge Anticlines, and velocity contrast across the Newport‐Inglewood fault. The new shallow structure will greatly impact simulation‐based studies of seismic hazard, especially in the near‐surface low‐velocity zones beneath densely populated areas like the Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Ventura Basins.

     
    more » « less
  3. SUMMARY

    Crustal seismic velocity models provide essential information for many applications including earthquake source properties, simulations of ground motion and related derivative products. We present a systematic workflow for assessing the accuracy of velocity models with full-waveform simulations. The framework is applied to four regional seismic velocity models for southern California: CVM-H15.11, CVM-S4.26, CVM-S4.26.M01 that includes a shallow geotechnical layer, and the model of Berg et al. For each model, we perform 3-D viscoelastic wave propagation simulations for 48 virtual seismic noise sources (down to 2 s) and 44 moderate-magnitude earthquakes (down to 2 s generally and 0.5 s for some cases) assuming a minimum shear wave velocity of 200 m s–1. The synthetic waveforms are compared with observations associated with both earthquake records and noise cross-correlation data sets. We measure, at multiple period bands for well-isolated seismic phases, traveltime delays and normalized zero-lag cross-correlation coefficients between the synthetic and observed data. The obtained measurements are summarized using the mean absolute derivation of time delay and the mean correlation coefficient. These two metrics provide reliable statistical representations of model quality with consistent results in all data sets. In addition to assessing the overall (average) performance of different models in the entire study area, we examine spatial variations of the models’ quality. All examined models show good phase and waveform agreements for surface waves at periods longer than 5 s, and discrepancies at shorter periods reflecting small-scale heterogeneities and near-surface structures. The model performing best overall is CVM-S4.26.M01. The largest misfits for both body and surface waves are in basin structures and around large fault zones. Inaccuracies generated in these areas may affect tomography and model simulation results at other regions. The seismic velocity models for southern California can be improved by adding better resolved structural representations of the shallow crust and volumes around the main faults.

     
    more » « less
  4. Abstract

    Near‐surface seismic velocity structure plays a critical role in ground motion amplification during large earthquakes. In particular, the local Vp/Vs ratio strongly influences the amplitude of Rayleigh waves. Previous studies have separately imaged 3D seismic velocity and Vp/Vs ratio at seismogenic depth, but lack regional coverage and/or fail to constrain the shallowest structure. Here, we combine three datasets with complementary sensitivity in a Bayesian joint inversion for shallow crustal shear velocity and near‐surface Vp/Vs ratio across Southern California. Receiver functions–including with an apparent delayed initial peak in sedimentary basins, and long considered a nuisance in receiver function imaging studies–highly correlate with short‐period Rayleigh wave ellipticity measurements and require the inclusion of a Vp/Vs parameter. The updated model includes near‐surface low shear velocity more in line with geotechnical layer estimates, and generally lower than expected Vp/Vs outside the basins suggesting widespread shallow fracturing and/or groundwater undersaturation.

     
    more » « less
  5. Abstract

    The Formosa array, with 137 broadband seismometers and ∼5 km station spacing, was deployed recently in Northern Taiwan. Here by using eight months of continuous ambient noise records, we construct the first high‐resolution three‐dimensional (3‐D) shear wave velocity model of the crust in the area. We first calculate multi‐component cross‐correlations to extract robust Rayleigh wave signals. We then determine phase velocity maps between 3 and 10 s periods using Eikonal tomography and measure Rayleigh wave ellipticity at each station location between 2 and 13 s periods. For each location, we jointly invert the two types of Rayleigh wave measurements with a Bayesian‐based inversion method for a one‐dimensional shear wave velocity model. All piecewise continuous one‐dimensional models are then used to construct the final 3‐D model. Our 3‐D model reveals upper crustal structures that correlate well with surface geological features. Near the surface, the model delineates the low‐velocity Taipei and Ilan Basins from the adjacent fast‐velocity mountainous areas, with basin geometries consistent with the results of previous geophysical exploration and geological studies. At a greater depth, low velocity anomalies are observed associated with the Linkou Tableland, Tatun Volcano Group, and a possible dyke intrusion beneath the Southern Ilan Basin. The model also provides new geometrical constraints on the major active fault systems in the area, which are important to understand the basin formation, orogeny dynamics, and regional seismic hazard. The new 3‐D shear wave velocity model allows a comprehensive investigation of shallow geologic structures in the Northern Taiwan.

     
    more » « less