Matrix Approach of Seismic Wave Imaging: Application to Erebus Volcano
Abstract
This work aims at extending to seismic imaging a matrix approach of wave propagation in heterogeneous media, previously developed in acoustics and optics. More specifically, we will apply this approach to the imaging of the Erebus volcano in Antarctica. Volcanoes are actually among the most challenging media to explore seismically in light of highly localized and abrupt variations in density and wave velocity, extreme topography, extensive fractures, and the presence of magma. In this strongly scattering regime, conventional imaging methods suffer from the multiple scattering of waves. Our approach experimentally relies on the measurement of a reflection matrix associated with an array of geophones located at the surface of the volcano. Although these sensors are purely passive, a set of Green's functions can be measured between all pairs of geophones from ice-quake coda cross-correlations (1-10 Hz) and forms the reflection matrix. A set of matrix operations can then be applied for imaging purposes. First, the reflection matrix is projected, at each time of flight, in the ballistic focal plane by applying adaptive focusing at emission and reception. It yields a response matrix associated with an array of virtual geophones located at the ballistic depth. This basis allows us to get rid of most of the multiple scattering contribution by applying a confocal filter to seismic data. Iterative time reversal is then applied to detect and image the strongest scatterers. Mathematically, it consists in performing a singular value decomposition of the reflection matrix. The presence of a potential target is assessed from a statistical analysis of the singular values, while the corresponding eigenvectors yield the corresponding target images. When stacked, the results obtained at each depth give a three-dimensional image of the volcano. While conventional imaging methods lead to a speckle image with no connection to the actual medium's reflectivity, our method enables to highlight a chimney-shaped structure inside Erebus volcano with true positive rates ranging from 80% to 95%. Although computed independently, the results at each depth are spatially consistent, substantiating their physical reliability. The identified structure is therefore likely to describe accurately the internal structure of the Erebus volcano.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017AGUFM.S31A0781B
- Keywords:
-
- 7203 Body waves;
- SEISMOLOGY;
- 7255 Surface waves and free oscillations;
- SEISMOLOGY;
- 7260 Theory;
- SEISMOLOGY;
- 7270 Tomography;
- SEISMOLOGY