Mapping Glacier Structure in Inaccessible Areas From Turning Seismic Sources Into a Dense Seismic Array

Autor: Ugo Nanni, Philippe Roux, Florent Gimbert
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Geophysical Research Letters, Vol 51, Iss 11, Pp n/a-n/a (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1944-8007
0094-8276
DOI: 10.1029/2023GL108058
Popis: Abstract Understanding glaciers structural heterogeneity is crucial for assessing their fate. Yet, places where structure changes are strong, such as crevasses fields, are often inaccessible for direct instrumentation. To overcome this limitation, we introduce an innovative technique that transforms seismic sources, here generated by crevasses, into virtual receivers using source‐to‐receiver spatial reciprocity. We demonstrate that phase interference patterns between well‐localized seismic sources can be leveraged to retrieve phase velocity maps using Seismic Michelson Interferometry. The obtained phase velocity exhibits sensitivity to changes in glacier structure, offering insights into the origins of mechanical property changes, with spatial resolution surpassing traditional methods by a factor of five. In particular, we observe sharp variations in phase velocity related to strongly damaged subsurface areas indicating a complex 3‐D medium. Applying this method more systematically and in other contexts will enhance our understanding of the structure of glaciers and other seismogenic environments.
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