Passive seismic velocity tomography on longwall mining panel based on simultaneous iterative reconstructive technique (SIRT)

Mining operation, especially underground coal mining, always has the remarkable risks of ground control. Passive seismic velocity tomography based on simultaneous iterative reconstructive technique （SIRT） inversion is used to deduce the stress redistribution around the longwall mining panel. The mining-induced microseismic events were recorded by mounting an array of receivers on the surface, above the active panel. After processing and filtering the seismic data, the three-dimensional tomography images of the p-wave velocity variations by SIRT passive seismic velocity tomography were provided. To display the velocity changes on coal seam level and subsequently to infer the stress redistribution, these three-dimensional tomograms into the coal seam level were sliced. In addition, the boundary element method （BEM） was used to simulate the stress redistribution. The results show that the inferred stresses from the passive seismic tomograms are conformed to numerical models and theoretical concept of the stress redistribution around the longwall panel. In velocity tomograms, the main zones of the stress redistribution arotmd the panel, including front and side abutment pressures, and gob stress are obvious and also the movement of stress zones along the face advancement is evident. Moreover, the effect of the advance rate of the face on the stress redistribution is demonstrated in tomography images. The research result proves that the SIRT passive seismic velocity tomography has an ultimate potential for monitoring the changes of stress redistribution around the longwall mining panel continuously and subsequently to improve safety of mining operations.

Seismic Velocity Structure and Composition of the Continental Crust of Eastern China

On the basis of a one-by-one latitude-longitude grid three-dimensional seismic velocity model, the crustal P-wave velocity structure in eastern China (105-125°E and 18-41°N) is obtained, and a set of geotherms for each grid is established for P-T correction on P-wave velocities. The average depths of sub-crustal layers and their average P-wave velocities of 18 tectonic units in eastern China are exhibited. Our result presents a 32-34 km thick crust beneath eastern China, which is thinner than previous studies, with an average velocity of 6.54 km/s, corresponding to a 5 kg/m3 variation in crustal mean density. The thicker upper but thinner middle and lower crust results in a lower average seismic velocity of eastern China. An intermediate crustal composition with a SiO2 content of 59.7 wt% has been estimated. However, there exists a significant lateral variation in the crustal structures among the tectonic units of eastern China. The structure and composition features of some regions in eastern China indicate that extension has played an important role in the continental crust evolution of eastern China.

Spatio-temporal variations of shallow seismic velocity changes in Salton Sea Geothermal Field,California in response to large regional earthquakes and long-term geothermal activities

We measure spatio-temporal variations of seismic velocity changes in Salton Sea Geothermal Field,California based on cross correlations of daily seismic traces recorded by a borehole seismic network from December 2007 to January 2014.We find clear co-seismic velocity reductions during the 2010 M 7.2 El Mayor–Cucapah,Mexico earthquake at~100 km further south,followed by long-term recoveries.The co-seismic reductions are larger with longer post-seismic recoveries in higher frequency bands,indicating that material damage and healing process mostly occurred in the shallow depth.In addition,the co-seismic velocity reductions are larger for ray paths outside the active fluid injection/extraction regions.The ray paths inside injection/extraction regions are associated with smaller co-seismic reductions,but subtle long-term velocity increases.We also build 3D transient water flow models based on monthly injection/extraction rates,and find correlations between several water flow parameters and co-seismic velocity reductions.We interpret the relative lack of co-seismic velocity changes within the geothermal region as unclogging of fracture network due to persistent fluid flows of geothermal production.The long-term velocity increase is likely associated with the ground water depletion and subsidence due to net production.

Using Ambient Noise to Study the Seismic Velocity Changes Caused by the Rise and Fall of the Water Level in the Zipingpu Reservoir Region

We study the feature of media changes beneath the Zipingpu reservoir and discuss the process of permeation with the water level rise and fall of the reservoir from January 2005 to January 2008 from ambient noise cross correlation by using continuous seismic data recorded by the stations of Zipingpu seismic network and YZP station. A moving-window cross-spectrum technique has been used to calculate the relative seismic velocity changes between station pairs. Results revealed an obvious relationship between relative seismic velocity, and the water level changes with a time delay that may be caused by permeation during three main impoundments and two large scale disemboguements. Impoundment generates a fast and large impact on the superficial layer, and the changes of seismic velocity is the result of increased pressure and permeation during the impoundment. At the first impoundment, the main effect factor is pressure. During the next two process of impoundment, permeation becomes the main effect factor, affecting the fault at a depth of about 8kin.

On Quadratic Wasserstein Metric with Squaring Scaling for Seismic Velocity Inversion

The quadraticWasserstein metric has shown its power in comparing prob-ability densities.It is successfully applied in waveform inversion by generating ob-jective functions robust to cycle skipping and insensitive to data noise.As an alter-native approach that converts seismic signals to probability densities,the squaring scaling method has good convexity and thus is worth exploring.In this work,we apply the quadratic Wasserstein metric with squaring scaling to regional seismic to-mography.However,there may be interference between different seismic phases in a broad time window.The squaring scaling distorts the signal by magnifying the unbalance of the mass of different seismic phases and also breaks the linear super-position property.As a result,illegal mass transportation between different seismic phases will occur when comparing signals using the quadratic Wasserstein metric.Furthermore,it gives inaccurate Fr´echet derivative,which in turn affects the inver-sion results.By combining the prior seismic knowledge of clear seismic phase sep-aration and carefully designing the normalization method,we overcome the above problems.Therefore,we develop a robust and efficient inversion method based on optimal transport theory to reveal subsurface velocity structures.Several numerical experiments are conducted to verify our method.

Monitoring of velocity changes based on seismic ambient noise: A brief review and perspective

Over the past two decades,the development of the ambient noise cross-correlation technology has spawned the exploration of underground structures.In addition,ambient noise-based monitoring has emerged because of the feasibility of reconstructing the continuous Green’s functions.Investigating the physical properties of a subsurface medium by tracking changes in seismic wave velocity that do not depend on the occurrence of earthquakes or the continuity of artificial sources dramatically increases the possibility of researching the evolution of crustal deformation.In this article,we outline some state-of-the-art techniques for noise-based monitoring,including moving-window cross-spectral analysis,the stretching method,dynamic time wrapping,wavelet cross-spectrum analysis,and a combination of these measurement methods,with either a Bayesian least-squares inversion or the Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo method.We briefly state the principles underlying the different methods and their pros and cons.By elaborating on some typical noisebased monitoring applications,we show how this technique can be widely applied in different scenarios and adapted to multiples scales.We list classical applications,such as following earthquake-related co-and postseismic velocity changes,forecasting volcanic eruptions,and tracking external environmental forcing-generated transient changes.By monitoring cases having different targets at different scales,we point out the applicability of this technology for disaster prediction and early warning of small-scale reservoirs,landslides,and so forth.Finally,we conclude with some possible developments of noise-based monitoring at present and summarize some prospective research directions.To improve the temporal and spatial resolution of passive-source noise monitoring,we propose integrating different methods and seismic sources.Further interdisciplinary collaboration is indispensable for comprehensively interpreting the observed changes.

Forward prediction for tunnel geology and classification of surrounding rock based on seismic wave velocity layered tomography

Excavation under complex geological conditions requires effective and accurate geological forward-prospecting to detect the unfavorable geological structure and estimate the classification of surround-ing rock in front of the tunnel face.In this work,a forward-prediction method for tunnel geology and classification of surrounding rock is developed based on seismic wave velocity layered tomography.In particular,for the problem of strong multi-solution of wave velocity inversion caused by few ray paths in the narrow space of the tunnel,a layered inversion based on regularization is proposed.By reducing the inversion area of each iteration step and applying straight-line interface assumption,the convergence and accuracy of wave velocity inversion are effectively improved.Furthermore,a surrounding rock classification network based on autoencoder is constructed.The mapping relationship between wave velocity and classification of surrounding rock is established with density,Poisson’s ratio and elastic modulus as links.Two numerical examples with geological conditions similar to that in the field tunnel and a field case study in an urban subway tunnel verify the potential of the proposed method for practical application.

Crustal velocity structure of central Gansu Province from regional seismic waveform inversion using firework algorithm

The firework algorithm（FWA） is a novel swarm intelligence-based method recently proposed for the optimization of multi-parameter, nonlinear functions. Numerical waveform inversion experiments using a synthetic model show that the FWA performs well in both solution quality and efficiency. We apply the FWA in this study to crustal velocity structure inversion using regional seismic waveform data of central Gansu on the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. Seismograms recorded from the moment magnitude（MW） 5.4 Minxian earthquake enable obtaining an average crustal velocity model for this region. We initially carried out a series of FWA robustness tests in regional waveform inversion at the same earthquake and station positions across the study region,inverting two velocity structure models, with and without a low-velocity crustal layer; the accuracy of our average inversion results and their standard deviations reveal the advantages of the FWA for the inversion of regional seismic waveforms. We applied the FWA across our study area using three component waveform data recorded by nine broadband permanent seismic stations with epicentral distances ranging between 146 and 437 km. These inversion results show that the average thickness of the crust in this region is 46.75 km, while thicknesses of the sedimentary layer, and the upper, middle, and lower crust are 3.15,15.69, 13.08, and 14.83 km, respectively. Results also show that the P-wave velocities of these layers and the upper mantle are 4.47, 6.07, 6.12, 6.87, and 8.18 km/s,respectively.

Numerical Simulation of the Response Features of Apparent Seismic Wave Velocity Ratio in a Horizontal Layered Medium

This paper deals with the response features of AR(apparent ratio of seismic wave velocities to the changes of TR(true ratio of wave velocities)in the horizontal layered model by mathematical modeling.The results show that:(1)the response features of AR are associated with the parameters of the structure and its dynamic changes,and the relative position between the hypocenters and the monitoring networks,showing complicated patterns strongly related to the concrete paths of propagation of seismic waves from the source to the receiver in the observatories of the network;(2)the depth of the seismic source would have important influence on the response features of AR,especially the capacity to carry the anomalous information in the condition of the earth media,being in the anomalous state would be greater for those earthquakes which occur inside the anomalous layers than those underneath the anomalous layers;(3)the response features of AR are clearly related to the changes of TR(true ratio of wave velocities)instead of changes of wave velocities themselves,i.e.the response could be small as the changes in TR is small even in the case of large changes in the wave velocities.It is suggested that more attention must be paid to all these features in combination with detailed investigation of the velocity structure of the earth media in the study region and best fitting of precise hypocenter locations when one wants to obtain the reliable precursors from the changes in AR.

Two-step interface and velocity inversion—— Study o e of the Tangshan seismic region

This paper studies the computation method of two step inversion of interface and velocity in a region. The 3 D interface is described by a segmented incomplete polynomial; while the reconstruction of 3 D velocity is accomplished by the principle of least squares in functional space. The computation is carried out in two steps. The first step is to inverse the shape of 3 D interface; while the second step is to do 3 D velocity inversion by distributing the remaining residual errors of travel time in accordance with their weights. The data of seismic sounding in the Tangshan Luanxian seismic region are processed, from which the 3 D structural form in depth of the Tangshan seismic region and the 3 D velocity distribution in the crust below the Tangshan Luanxian seismic region are obtained. The result shows that the deep 3 D structure in the Tangshan seismic region trends NE on the whole and the structure sandwiched between the NE trending Fengtai Yejituo fault and the NE trending Tangshan fault is an uplifted zone of the Moho. In the 3 D velocity structure of middle lower crust below that region, there is an obvious belt of low velocity anomaly to exist along the NE trending Tangshan fault, the position of which tallies with that of the Tangshan seismicity belt. The larger block of low velocity anomaly near Shaheyi corresponds to a denser earthquake distribution. In that region, there is an NW trending belt of high velocity anomaly, probably a buried fault zone. The lower crust below the epicentral region of the Tangshan M S=7.8 earthquake is a place where the NE trending belt of low velocity anomaly meets the NW trending belt of high velocity anomaly. The two sets of structures had played an important role in controlling the preparation and occurrence of the M S=7.8 Tangshan earthquake.

S-wave velocity structure beneath Changbaishan volcano inferred from receiver function

The S wave velocity structure in Changbaishan volcanic region was obtained from teleseismic receiver function modeling. The results show that there exist distinct low velocity layers in crust in volcano area. Beneath WQD station near to the Tianchi caldera the low velocity layer at 8 km depth is 20 km thick with the lowest S-wave velocity about 2.2 km/s At EDO station located 50 km north of Tianchi caldera, no obvious crustal low velocity layer is detected. In the volcanic region, the thickness of crustal low velocity layer is greater and the lowest velocity is more obvious with the distance shorter to the caldera. It indicates the existence of the high temperature material or magma reservoir in crust near the Tianchi caldera. The receiver functions and inversion result from different back azimuths at CBS permanent seismic station show that the thickness of near surface low velocity layer and Moho depth change with directions. The near surface low velocity layer is obviously thicker in south direction. The Moho depth shows slight uplifting in the direction of the caldera located. We con- sider that the special near surface velocity structure is the main cause of relatively lower prominent frequency of volcanic earthquake waveforms recorded by CBS station. The slight uplifting of Moho beneath Tianchi caldera indicates there is a material exchanging channel between upper mantle and magma reservoir in crust.

A drilling technology guided by well-seismic information integration

The predictions by drilling-related mechanical and geological models are in some degree inaccurate due to non-unique solution of seismic velocity model.To address this problem,a new drilling technology guided by well-seismic information integration is proposed which consists of seismic velocity update of drilled formations,seismic velocity prediction of the formation ahead of drilling bit,and the prediction of geological feature and drilling geological environmental factors ahead of bit.In this technology,real information(velocity,formation and depth)behind the drilling bit and local pre-stack seismic data around the wellbore being drilled are used to correct the primitive seismic velocity field for a re-migration of seismic data and to update geological features and drilling geological environmental factors ahead of the drilling bit.Field application shows that this technology can describe and predict the geological features,drilling geological environmental factors and complex drilling problems ahead of the bit timely and improve the prediction efficiency and accuracy greatly.These new updated results are able to provide scientific basis for optimizing drilling decisions.

Composition and Seismic Properties of the Oceanic Lithosphere: A Synthesis of Ophiolites and Core Samples of the IODP

Our knowledge of the oceanic lithosphere largely comes from analogy with ophiolite complexes and the direct scientific drilling of the present-day oceanic crust(e.g.,Christensen and Salisbury,1975,1989;Smith and Vine,1989;Dilek and Furnes,2011,2014).In this study,we summarized previous experimental results on seismic properties of oceanic lower crust and upper mantle according to different tectonic settings.The results are used to highlight the compositional heterogeneity and the nature of the oceanic Moho.Observation in different ophiolites reveal an ideal oceanic lithosphere profile with ideal petrologic units and seismic units(Dilek and Furnes,2011,2014).The lithospheric mantle beneath ocean basins is composed of tectonized peridotites,which include layered lherzolites and harzburgites and lenses of dunites with chromitites and nearly correspond to the seismic Layer 4.The overlying layered gabbros and mafic sheeted dike complex equal to the seismic Layer 3,as a result of crystallization from a magma chamber.The transitional unit between the former two petrologic units consists of layered ultramafic and mafic rocks,corresponds to the petrological Moho.The seismic Layer 2 and 1 are well defined by pillow lavas and massive flows,and the overlying abyssal sediments,respectively.Compared these results with the refraction seismic profiles,the oceanic crust and upper mantle show different composition and structure.The Pwave velocities of the Layer 3 gabbros varies from 6.7 to 7.0 km s-1 and have low velocity gradients of<0.1 km s-1.Although the gradual increase of P-and S-wave velocities with depth can be attributed to the increasing proportion of mafic minerals from the top to the bottom,prehnite-pumpellyite facies alteration of basalts,greenschist-faces metamorphism to epidote-amphibolite facies metamorphism of gabbros will decrease the velocities of the Layer 2 and Layer 3(Christensen and Salisbury,1975,1989),because the P-wave velocities of chlorite and hornblende are 6.00 and 7.00 km s-1,respectively,lower than those of plagioclase and pyroxene,respectively(Carlson,2004).In addition,local velocity anomalies near the petrologic Moho can be related serpentinization of ultramafic rocks(Salisbury and Christensen,1978;Carlson et al.,2009).In the Layer 4,the characteristic P-wave velocities of the upper mantle should fall in the range of 7.8 to 8.2 km s-1.Poisson’s ratios of chrysotile and lizardite,which are stable in oceanic crustal environments according to the phase diagram,is 0.267 and 0.359,respectively,higher than those of olivine and pyroxene(Wang et al.,2013).Serpentinization will significantly decreased velocities and densities of peridotites and is the main reason for the variation of the Moho reflectivity beneath oceans.

Principle and Technique of Calculating Seismic Velocities from Lattice Preferred Orientation (LPO) Data of Minerals

Deducing seismic velocity anisotropy from LPO (lattice preferred orientation) data of deformed rock samples, a significant link between geology and seismology in geoscience researches, has extensive and promising application. In this paper, the principle and programming technique are highlighted to illustrate the comprehensive automatization procedure. In computer algorithm, two aspects of the programs commonly used in the world are improved: (1) the addition of a pre processing subroutine makes the straightforward calculation realizable from universal stage readings to geographic azimuths and thus to solution of all crystal axes, even for non orthorhombic a and c axes in monoclinic systems. (2) the simplification and perfection of programming can be implemented in the light of Visual Basic (VB) resource. The algorithm has been verified with results from practical data of omphacite samples.

Effects of porosity on seismic velocities, elastic moduli and Poisson's ratios of solid materials and rocks

The generalized mixture rule(GMR) is used to provide a unified framework for describing Young’s(E),shear(G) and bulk(K) moduli, Lame parameter(l), and P- and S-wave velocities(Vpand Vs) as a function of porosity in various isotropic materials such as metals, ceramics and rocks. The characteristic J values of the GMR for E, G, K and l of each material are systematically different and display consistent correlations with the Poisson’s ratio of the nonporous material(v0). For the materials dominated by corner-shaped pores, the fixed point at which the effective Poisson’s ratio(n) remains constant is at v0=0.2, and J(G) > J(E) > J(K) > J(l) and J(G) < J(E) < J(K) < J(l) for materials with v0> 0.2 and v0< 0.2, respectively.J(Vs) > J(Vp) and J(Vs) < J(Vp) for the materials with v0> 0.2 and v0< 0.2, respectively. The effective n increases, decreases and remains unchanged with increasing porosity for the materials with v0< 0.2,v0> 0.2 and v0=0.2, respectively. For natural rocks containing thin-disk-shaped pores parallel to mineral cleavages, grain boundaries and foliation, however, the n fixed point decreases nonlinearly with decreasing pore aspect ratio(a: width/length). With increasing depth or pressure, cracks with smaller a values are progressively closed, making the n fixed point rise and finally reach to the point at v0=0.2.

Location of high seismic activity zones and seismic hazard assessment in Zabrze Bielszowice coal mine using passive tomography

In the paper results of passive tomography calculations have been presented to assess rockburst hazard and locate high seismic activity zones in the vicinity of longwall 306 in Zabrze Bielszowice coal mine. The area of study was 1000 m in X direction by 900 m in Y direction. The zones of high values of P-wave propagation velocity have been found to correlate with the distribution of large seismic tremors.

Integrative method in lithofacies characteristics and 3D velocity volume of the Permian igneous rocks in H area, Tarim Basin

This paper introduces horizon control, seismic control, logging control and facies control methods through the application of the least squares fitting of logging curves, seismic inversion and facies-controlled techniques. Based on the microgeology and thin section analyses, the lithology, lithofacies and periods of the Permian igneous rocks are described in detail. The seismic inversion and facies-controlled techniques were used to find the distribution characteristics of the igneous rocks and the 3D velocity volume. The least squares fitting of the logging curves overcome the problem that the work area is short of density logging data. Through analysis of thin sections, the lithofacies can be classified into eruption airfall subfacies, eruption pyroclastic flow subfacies and eruption facies.

Low velocity zone of upper mantle and its effect on PdSwr phase related to 670 kmdiscontinuity

This paper studied some properties of PdSwr phase related to 670 km discontinuities in detail, and theoretically processed a preliminary analysis to this phase. We discussed the relationships between the incident angle ih of PdSwr phase with its path, epicentral distance, travel-time and relative amplitude due to low velocity zone (LVZ) of upper mantle, and preliminarily pointed out the main characters of PdSwr phase recorded in seismogram. The PdSwr phase is concentrated in range of 13.5~96.5. When epicentral distance is greater than 33, the start point of PdSwr phase is relatively well distinguishable and could thus be determined more easily. When the epicentral distance is between 13.5 to 33, the triplication of PdSwr's travel-time curve could be slightly distinguished due to the low velocity zone and 220 km seismic velocity discontirluity of upper mantle. The relevant observed PdSwr phase should be in a more complex pattern and it should be more difficult to determine its start point

Monitoring Media Velocity Variations with Coda Wave Interferometry

Multiply scattered waves are sensitive to media changes owing to the effect of repeated sampling,superposition and amplification. Based on this characteristic,small-medium changes could be detected by using coda wave interferometry. In recent years,coda wave interferometry has been widely used in estimating velocity variation with high precision in areas such as seismology and non-destructive testing. This paper systematically presents the principle and research status of coda wave interferometry,and especial focus is placed on the research of media velocity variations by using repeating earthquakes,artificial sources,and ambient noise. Applications of coda wave interferometry can contribute to the more subtle understanding of dynamic evolution process in the medium.

Analysis of the Wave Velocity Ratio Anomalies in the Tianshan Region of Xinjiang

Based on the seismic observation report data provided by the Xinjiang Digital Seismic Network from 2009 to 2014,we calculate the wave velocity ratio and its background value for medium and small earthquakes by using the multi-station method in Tianshan,Xinjiang.This paper analyzes the variation of the wave velocity ratio disturbance value to highlight the abnormal,and also back-traces 7 moderate earthquakes at the research area.The results show that:(1)the background value of the wave velocity ratio is almost 1.70,the wave velocity ratio obviously decreases in the middle-eastern part of Tianshan and the region near the Puchang fault;(2)the wave velocity ratio disturbance value is mostly low in the epicenter before four earthquakes of M≥5.0 from 2011 to 2013 in the study area;(3)before 7 moderate strong earthquakes,the earthquake events with low value of the wave velocity ratio account for over 60% of corresponding total events near the epicenters,and the low value of the wave velocity ratio is relatively obvious before moderate earthquakes.