Seismic Wave Propagation in the Oceanic Crust and Upper Mantle

University Of Rhode Island, Kingston RI

Investigators

Abstract

The PIs will use a new computer code to simulate seismic wave propagation in some characteristic structures of mid-ocean ridges. Full waveform modeling of anisotropic and heterogeneous media will be an essential tool in the planning and interpretation of seismic experiments targeted at mantle structure beneath the oceans. The PIs will investigate the use of ray theory in passive OBS experiments. Predictions of seismic observables will be compared to those obtained of waveform modeling using a pseudo-spectral method. The research will concentrate on three structural features: normal oceanic crust and lithosphere, a mid-ocean ridge and a segmented slow-spreading ridge (where structural wavelengths become smaller than the signal wavelengths).