Strong seismic wave scattering beneath Kanto region derived from dense K-NET/KiK-net strong motion network and numerical simulation

Observed seismograms, which consist of the high-frequency body waves through the low-velocity (LV) region at depth of 20-40 km beneath northwestern Chiba in Kanto, show strong peak delay and spindle shape of S waves. By analyzing dense seismic records from K-NET/KiK-net, such spindle-shape S waves are clearly observed in the frequency range of 1-8 Hz. In order to investigate a specific heterogeneous structure to generate such observations, we conduct 3-D finite-difference method (FDM) simulation using realistic heterogeneous models and compare the simulation results with dense strong motion array observations. Our 3-D simulation model is covering the zone 150 km by 64 km in horizontal directions and 75 km in vertical direction, which has been discretized with uniform grid size 0.05 km. We assume a layered background velocity structure, which includes basin structure, crust, mantle and subducting oceanic plate, base on the model proposed by Koketsu et al. (2008). In order to introduce the effect of seismic wave scattering, we assume a stochastic random velocity fluctuation in each layer. Random velocity fluctuations are characterized by exponential-type auto-correlation function (ACF) with correlation distance a = 3 km and rms value of fluctuation e = 0.05 in the upper crust, a = 3 km and e = 0.07 in the lower crust, a = 10 km and e = 0.02 in the mantle. In the subducting oceanic plate, we assume an anisotropic random velocity fluctuation characterized by exponential-type ACF with aH = 10 km in horizontal direction, aZ = 0.5 km in vertical direction and e = 0.02 (e.g., Furumura and Kennett, 2005). In addition, we assume a LV zone at northeastern part of Chiba with depth of 20-40 km (e.g., Matsubara et al., 2004). In the LV zone, random velocity fluctuation characterized by Gaussian-type ACF with a = 1 km and e = 0.07 is superposed on exponential-type ACF with a = 3 km and e = 0.07, in order to modulate the S-wave propagation in the dominant frequency range of spindle-shape S waves. Such large-scale FDM simulations are conducted on the Earth Simulator at JAMSTEC. It is found that the FDM simulation of the model without strong velocity fluctuation cannot explain the characteristics of observed S waves. By introducing strong velocity fluctuation in the LV zone, strong peak delay and spindle-shape S waves observed at central and southern part of Chiba are simulated successfully. In addition, the strong amplitude decrease of S waves in the LV zone due to strong seismic scattering is good corresponding to results based on the tomographic study of Q in Kanto (e.g., Nakamura et al., 2006). Simulation results demonstrated that strong velocity fluctuation in the LV zone plays important role in the peak delay and waveform shape. The LV zone beneath northeastern Chiba is considered as a result of dehydration from oceanic crust of subducted Philippine Sea plate (e.g., Matsubara et al., 2005). Therefore strong small-scale velocity fluctuation in the LV zone may be related with dehydrated water.