Rapid assessment of S-wave profiles from the inversion of multichannel

Abstract

The importance of detailed knowledge of the shear-wave velocity structure of the upper geological layers was recently stressed in strong motion studies. In this work we describe an algorithm which we have developed to infer the 1D shear wave velocity structure from the inversion of multichannel surface wave dispersion data (ground-roll). Phase velocities are derived from wavenumber-frequency stacks while the inversion process is speeded up by the use of Householder transformations. Using synthetic and experimental data, we examined the applicability of the technique in deducing S-wave profiles. The comparison of the obtained results with those derived from cross-hole measurements and synthesized wave fields proved the reliability of the technique for the rapid assessment of shear wave profiles during microzonation investigations.