Imaging the Western Iberia Crustal Structure by Noise Analysis

Abstract:

Portugal lies close to the Eurasian-African boundary, a region of tectonic regime transition from convergence in the Mediterranean to strike-slip in the Atlantic. Such broad convergence area, characterized by a slow rate of about 4.5–5.6 mm/yr, translates unto a scattered seismicity concentrated mainly in the offshore. Therefore, the irregular source-receiver geometry resulting from the inland seismic stations networks does not permit to derive high-resolution models of the Portuguese crustal structure using traditional passive seismology. Seismic interferometry/ambient noise surface-waves tomography allows imaging regions with a resolution that mainly depends on the seismic network coverage.

Over the last decade, both Portuguese and Spanish permanent broadband (BB) seismic networks expanded significantly. This densification enabled to build a detailed image of the crustal structure of the Iberian Peninsula using ambient seismic noise. However, due to the existing network gaps towards west, the crustal image of Western Iberia is on the limit of resolution. The two years temporary deployment by the WILAS project contributed to fill those gaps and provide an excellent opportunity to study the Portuguese crustal structure.

Dispersion measurements were computed for each pair of stations using empirical Green’s functions generated by cross-correlating one-day-length seismic ambient-noise records. To improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the empirical Green functions computed from ambient noise records, we applied a phase cross-correlation method, followed by time-frequency domain phase weighted stack.

Group-velocities were computed using the S-transform and we use the Fast Marching Surface Tomography algoritm to compute group velocity perturbation maps. Group velocities were then inverted as a function of depth to obtain S-wave velocity maps for diferent depths.

The models will be compared with results from Ps receiver functions. The results obtained for the crust using both methods are consistent.

This work was supported by FCT projects WILAS (PTDC/CTE-GIX/097946/2008) and AQUAREL (PTDC/CTE-GIX/116819/2010) and is a contribution to project QuakeLoc-PT (PTDC/GEO-FIQ/3522/2012) and PEST-OE/CTE/LA-0019/2013-2014.