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Analysis of RayDec Parameters in Extracting Ellipticity Curve to Retrieve Shear Wave Velocity Profile: A Case Study in the South of Tehran

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Abstract

Seismic ambient noise is nowadays widely used in geophysics to characterize the subsoil structure. They are convenient, practical, and low-cost tool to provide reliable information about the underground structure especially in urbanized area. In this paper, seismic ambient noise measurements are used to study the subsoil properties at a site in the south of Tehran. Single station RayDec (Random Decrement method) and three-component F–K (frequency–wavenumber) array methods are considered. RayDec is scrutinized more precisely through applying different signal processing parameters. In this regard, a set of synthetic seismic ambient noise is produced for a 1-D earth structure very similar to what already is known in the south of Tehran, near to the place of seismic ambient noise measurements in an array of stations. The effects of applying different filters and triggering conditions on ellipticity curves are studied. Then, resultant ellipticity curves are compared to the theoretical curve obtained from known earth model to find the suitable parameters. The resultant ellipticity curve plus the dispersion curve obtained from F–K are used as targets in the inversion process. The shear wave velocity and the depth of bedrock at the site in the south of Tehran are estimated about 2200 ± 200 m/s and 700 ± 70 m, respectively. They show agreement with geological evidences and also the previous studies in this site.

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Code availability

The Geopsy software package is available at http://www.geopsy.org (last accessed April 2019). The RayDec code (Hobiger et al. 2009) is available upon request. The revised RayDec code is accessible from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES), for giving permission to use of the data of project no. 6506 done in 2008. Also, we are thankful to the anonymous reviewer and Dr. Shomali for their constructive comments which helped improve this manuscript.

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Correspondence to Elham Shabani.

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The synthetic data produced for this study could be accessed via request. The seismic ambient noise recorded in Tehran used in this study can be accessed by permit, and it is borrowed from the International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES).

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Moghadasi, N.S., Shabani, E., Fotouhimehr, M. et al. Analysis of RayDec Parameters in Extracting Ellipticity Curve to Retrieve Shear Wave Velocity Profile: A Case Study in the South of Tehran. Iran J Sci Technol Trans Civ Eng 45, 2413–2424 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40996-020-00557-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40996-020-00557-9

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