ALBERT

Description: This paper presents direct-seismogram inversion (DSI) for receiver-side structure which treats the source signal incident from below (the effective source–time function—STF) as a vector of unknown parameters in a Bayesian framework. As a result, the DSI method developed here does not require deconvolution by observed seismogram components as typically applied in receiver-function inversion and avoids the problematic issue of choosing subjective tuning parameters in this deconvolution. This results in more meaningful inversion results and uncertainty estimation compared to classic receiver-function inversion. A rigorous derivation is presented of the likelihood function required for unbiased inversion results. The STF is efficiently inferred by a maximum-likelihood closed-form expression that does not require deconvolution by noisy waveforms. Rather, deconvolution is only by predicted impulse responses for the unknown environment (considered to be a 1-D, horizontally stratified medium). For a given realization of the parameter vector which describes the medium below the station, data predictions are computed as the convolution of the impulse response and the maximum-likelihood source estimate for that medium. Therefore, the assumption of a Gaussian pulse with specified parameters, typical for the prediction of receiver functions, is not required. Directly inverting seismogram components has important consequences for the noise on the data. Since the signal processing does not require filtering and deconvolution, data errors are less correlated and more straightforward to model than those for receiver functions. This results in better inversion results (parameter values and uncertainties), since assumptions made in the derivation of the likelihood function are more likely to be met by the inversion process. The DSI method is demonstrated for simulated waveforms and then applied to data for station Hyderabad on the Indian craton. The measured data are inverted with both the new DSI and traditional receiver-function inversion. All inversions are carried out for a trans-dimensional model that treats the number of layers in the model as unknown. Results for DSI are consistent with previous studies for the same location. The DSI has clear advantages in trans-dimensional inversion. Uncertainty estimates appear more realistic (larger) in both model complexity (number of layers) and in terms of seismic velocity profiles. Receiver-function inversion results in more complex profiles (highly-layered structure) and suggests unreasonably small uncertainties. This effect is likely also significant when the parametrization is considered to be fixed but exacerbated for the trans-dimensional model: If hierarchical errors are poorly estimated, trans-dimensional models overestimate the structure which produces unfavourable results for the receiver-function inversion.

Description: Seismic arrays provide an important means of enhancing seismic signals and determining the directional properties of the wavefield by beamforming. When multiple arrays are to be used together, the viewpoint needs to be modified from looking outwards from each array to focusing on a specific target area and so constraining the portions of the waveforms to be analysed. Beamforming for each array is supplemented by the relative time constraints for propagation from the target to each array to provide tight spatial control. Simultaneous multiple array analysis provides a powerful tool for source characterization, and for structural analysis of scatterers as virtual sources. The multiple array concept allows us to illuminate a specific point in the Earth from many different directions and thus maps detailed patterns of heterogeneity in the Earth. Furthermore, illumination of the structure from multiple directions using data from the same event minimizes source effects to provide clearer images of heterogeneity. The analysis is based on a similar concept to the backprojection technique, where a part of the seismic wave train is mapped to a specific point in space by ray tracing. In contrast to classic backprojection where the incoming energy is mapped onto a horizontal plane with limited vertical resolution, the multiarray method controls depth response by combining relative time constraints between the arrays and conventional beamforming. We illustrate this approach with application to two earthquakes at moderate depth. The results show that the use of simultaneous multiple arrays can provide improvement both in signal quality and resolution, with the additional benefit of being able to accurately locate the source of the incoming energy and map large areas with only a limited number of such arrays.

Description: We infer seismic azimuthal anisotropy from ambient-noise-derived Rayleigh waves in the wider Vienna Basin region. Cross-correlations of the ambient seismic field are computed for 1953 station pairs and periods from 5 to 25? s to measure the directional dependence of interstation Rayleigh-wave group velocities. We perform the analysis for each period on the whole data set, as well as in overlapping 2°-cells to regionalize the measurements, to study expected effects from isotropic structure, and isotropic–anisotropic trade-offs. To extract azimuthal anisotropy that relates to the anisotropic structure of the Earth, we analyse the group velocity residuals after isotropic inversion. The periods discussed in this study (5–20? s) are sensitive to crustal structure, and they allow us to gain insight into two distinct mechanisms that result in fast orientations. At shallow crustal depths, fast orientations in the Eastern Alps are S/N to SSW/NNE, roughly normal to the Alps. This effect is most likely due to the formation of cracks aligned with the present-day stress-field. At greater depths, fast orientations rotate towards NE, almost parallel to the major fault systems that accommodated the lateral extrusion of blocks in the Miocene. This is coherent with the alignment of crystal grains during crustal deformation occurring along the fault systems and the lateral extrusion of the central part of the Eastern Alps.

Description: Seismic arrays have many uses for signal enhancement, from surface‐wave characterization of the near surface to teleseismic detection in the context of monitoring nuclear tests. Many variants of the geometrical configuration of stations have been used with the objective of maximizing potential resolution of the incoming wavefronts direction of arrival. A versatile class of array configurations, with good resolution properties, can be constructed with multiple spiral arms. The array response is comparable with the same number of full circles, but with far fewer stations and is robust to minor position changes in emplacement. The desirable properties of the spiral‐arm arrays are illustrated for a permanent array in the Precambrian Pilbara craton in northwestern Australia and for a temporary array on ancient sediments in southern Queensland, Australia. In each case, the practical array response is very good and matches the theoretical expectations. The spiral‐arm configuration allows the deployment of relatively large aperture arrays with a limited number of stations, which is advantageous in a broad range of seismic applications, including near‐surface characterization.Online Material: Figures illustrating the relation between spiral‐arm and multiring circular arrays.

Description: The Adriatic Sea and underlying lithosphere remains the least investigated part of the Mediterranean Sea. To shed light on the plate tectonic setting in this central part of southern Europe, R/V METEOR cruise M86/3 set out to acquire deep penetrating seismic data in the Adriatic Sea. M86/3 formed the core of an amphibious investigation crossing Adria from the Italian Peninsula into Montenegro/Albania. A total of 111 OBS/OBH deployments were successfully carried out, in addition to 47 landstations both in Italy and Montenegro/Albania, which recorded the offshore airgun shots. In the scope of this shoreline-crossing study, the aim is to quantify the shallow geometry, deep boundaries and the architecture of the southern Adriatic crust and lithosphere and to provide insights on a possible decoupling zone between the northern and southern Adriatic domains. Investigating the structure of the Adriatic crust and lithospheric mantle and analyzing the tectonic activity are essential for understanding the mountain-building processes that underlie the neotectonics and earthquake hazard of the Periadriatic region, especially in the vicinity of local decoupling zones.

Description: We use seismic waveform data from the AlpArray Seismic Network and three other temporary seismic networks, to perform receiver function (RF) calculations and time-to-depth migration to update the knowledge of the Moho discontinuity beneath the broader European Alps. In particular, we set up a homogeneous processing scheme to compute RFs using the time-domain iterative deconvolution method and apply consistent quality control to yield 112 205 high-quality RFs. We then perform time-to-depth migration in a newly implemented 3D spherical coordinate system using a European-scale reference P and S wave velocity model. This approach, together with the dense data coverage, provide us with a 3D migrated volume, from which we present migrated profiles that reflect the first-order crustal thickness structure. We create a detailed Moho map by manually picking the discontinuity in a set of orthogonal profiles covering the entire area. We make the RF dataset, the software for the entire processing workflow, as well as the Moho map, openly available; these open-access datasets and results will allow other researchers to build on the current study. How to cite. Michailos, K., Hetényi, G., Scarponi, M., Stipčević, J., Bianchi, I., Bonatto, L., Czuba, W., Di Bona, M., Govoni, A., Hannemann, K., Janik, T., Kalmár, D., Kind, R., Link, F., Lucente, F. P., Monna, S., Montuori, C., Mroczek, S., Paul, A., Piromallo, C., Plomerová, J., Rewers, J., Salimbeni, S., Tilmann, F., Środa, P., Vergne, J., and the AlpArray-PACASE Working Group: Moho depths beneath the European Alps: a homogeneously processed map and receiver functions database, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 2117–2138, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2117-2023, 2023.

Description: We perform a comprehensive P-to-S and S-to-P receiver function analyses to determine the depth of lithospheric discontinuities in the Eastern Alps, Pannonian Basin, Carpathians, and the Dinarides. The Pannonian Basin of Central Europe hosts thick sedimentary deposits of up to 7 km thickness in extensional half-graben geometries overlying the crystalline orogenic basement. Prior to this study, the mapping of the seismic discontinuities in the lithosphere beneath the investigated area was not uniform and the estimated depth values bore non-negligible uncertainties. Owing to the combined, dense station coverage of more than 380 seismological stations we can achieve hitherto unprecedented spatial resolution. Our study is based on two decades (2002–2022) of broadband waveforms with uniform automatic waveform processing and quality control procedures. This detailed procedure provides new geological and geophysical information about the lithosphere of the region. The obtained results allow us to infer a 3D lithospheric structural model of the region. We have developed a new interpolation and visualization algorithm. We mapped the thickness of the main crustal layers and the lithosphere, together with an estimate of their uncertainties. We present the sedimentary thickness map, the first Conrad depth map and an improved, detailed Moho map, the first upper and lower crustal thickness maps, as well as the lithospheric (Lithosphere-Asthenosphere-Boundary and Mid-Lithospheric-Discontinuity) thickness map obtained from receiver function analysis. We show migrated Common Conversion Point cross-sections beneath the Pannonian Basin and Carpathians, and the Eastern Alps–Pannonian Basin transition zone. Finally, we compare and jointly interpret the results of the receiver functions with previous geophysical investigations and seismic tomography models.