ALBERT

Description: A geotechnical and geophysical campaign was performed at sites located in the alluvial plain of the river of Beirut (Lebanon), which is characterized by a significant lateral and vertical geological variability, along with anthropogenic disturbances in the first metres. The method combination has allowed detecting a shallow conductive low velocity layer of varying depth and thickness, corresponding to a soft clay layer embedded in coarser formations. This layer was found to exert strong control on the experimental dispersion curves (estimated from both active and passive experiments) characterized by a continuous mode superposition at high frequency, associated with an increase in phase velocity. Vs profiles in boreholes turned out to be of prime importance for adequately defining the parametrization before inversion and for ensuring the reliability of the inversion dispersive estimates at low frequency. A major output of this study is also to show that this low velocity layer, along with the strong shear velocity contrast at its bottom, significantly contributes to the site seismic response, and could make it difficult to use the measured H / V peak frequency as a proxy for the soil thickness over bedrock.

Description: We introduce the MUSIQUE algorithm and apply it to seismic wavefield recordings in California. The algorithm is designed to analyse seismic signals recorded by arrays of three-component seismic sensors. It is based on the MUSIC and the quaternion-MUSIC algorithms. In a first step, the MUSIC algorithm is applied in order to estimate the backazimuth and velocity of incident seismic waves and to discriminate between Love and possible Rayleigh waves. In a second step, the polarization parameters of possible Rayleigh waves are analysed using quaternion-MUSIC, distinguishing retrograde and prograde Rayleigh waves and determining their ellipticity. In this study, we apply the MUSIQUE algorithm to seismic wavefield recordings of the San Jose Dense Seismic Array. This array has been installed in 1999 in the Evergreen Basin, a sedimentary basin in the Eastern Santa Clara Valley. The analysis includes 22 regional earthquakes with epicentres between 40 and 600 km distant from the array and covering different backazimuths with respect to the array. The azimuthal distribution and the energy partition of the different surface wave types are analysed. Love waves dominate the wavefield for the vast majority of the events. For close events in the north, the wavefield is dominated by the first harmonic mode of Love waves, for farther events, the fundamental mode dominates. The energy distribution is different for earthquakes occurring northwest and southeast of the array. In both cases, the waves crossing the array are mostly arriving from the respective hemicycle. However, scattered Love waves arriving from the south can be seen for all earthquakes. Combining the information of all events, it is possible to retrieve the Love wave dispersion curves of the fundamental and the first harmonic mode. The particle motion of the fundamental mode of Rayleigh waves is retrograde and for the first harmonic mode, it is prograde. For both modes, we can also retrieve dispersion and ellipticity curves. Wave motion simulations for two earthquakes are in good agreement with the real data results and confirm the identification of the wave scattering formations to the south of the array, which generate the scattered Love waves visible for all earthquakes.