A Computational Study of Thin Layer Effects in Shallow Seismic Refraction Surveys.

Abstract

Seismic refraction surveys are a valuable tool for shallow engineering site characterization purposes. Standard refraction analysis uses first arrival time data to interpret subsurface layer velocities and thicknesses. In spite of their usefulness, refraction surveys suffer from several shortcomings. In this study, the practical influence of one of these shortcomings, the thin layer effect, was examined. Synthetic seismograms were computed, using the reflectivity method, for several thin layer models. These synthetic record sections were then treated as field data and the standard interpretation processes were performed. Significant discrepancies were observed in many cases between the true geologic model originally input to the code and the model interpreted from the synthetic record sections. Keywords: Primary waves(seismic waves), Seismic refraction, Wavelength, Synthetic seismograms, Geologic models, Thin layers.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1986
Accession Number
ADA169554

Entities

People

  • Robert E. Reinke

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Engineering
  • Explosives
  • Frequency
  • Geologic Models
  • Governments
  • High Explosives
  • Materials
  • New Mexico
  • Reflectivity
  • Travel Time
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • Wave Propagation
  • Waveforms
  • Waves

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Seismology
  • Thin Film Deposition Science.