Rockfall seismic features analysis based on in situ tests:frequency, amplitude, and duration

In the seismic event classification,determining the seismic features of rockfall is significantly important for the automatic classification of seismic events because of the huge amount of raw data recorded by seismic stations in continuous monitoring. At the same time, the rockfall seismic features are still not completely understood.This study concentrates on the rockfall frequency content, amplitude(ground velocity), seismic waveform and duration analysis, of an artificial rockfall test at Torgiovannetto(a former quarry in Central Italy). A total of 90 blocks were released in the test, and their seismic signals and moving trajectories were recorded by four tri-axial seismic stations and four cameras, respectively. In the analysis processing,all the artificial rockfall signal traces were cut separately and the seismic features were extracted individually and automatically. In this study, the relationships between a) frequency content and impacted materials, b) frequency content and the distance between block releasing position and seismic station(source-receiver distance) were discussed. As a result, we found that the frequency content of rockfall focuses on 10-60 Hz and 80-90 Hz within a source-receiver distance of 200 m, and it is well correlated with impacted material and source-receiver distance. To evaluate the difference between earthquake and rockfall, 23 clear earthquake signals recorded in a seven month-long continuous seismic monitoring, carried out with the four seismic stations, were picked out, according to the Italian national earthquakes database(INGV). On these traces we performed the same analysis as in the artificial rockfall traces, and two parameters were defined to separate rockfall events from earthquake noise. The first one, the amplitude ratio, is related to the amplitude variation of rockfall between two stations and is greater than that of earthquakes, because of the higher attenuation occurring for rockfall events, which consists in high frequencies whereas for earthquakes it consists in low frequencies. The other parameter, the shape of waveform of signal trace, showed a significant difference between rockfall and earthquake and that could be a complementary feature to discriminate between both. This analysis of artificial rockfall is a first step helpful to understand the seismic characteristics of rockfall, and useful for rockfall seismic events classification in seismic monitoring of slope.

Rockfall localization from seismic polarization considering multiple triaxial geophones and frequency bands

Boulder/rock mass movements generate ground vibrations that can be recorded by geophone networks.Generally,there are two methods applied to rockfall trajectory reconstruction or rockfall seismic localization.One method uses seismic wave arrival times and is achieved by minimizing the differences in signal arrival times between multiple stations by grid map searching.The other method uses seismic polarization and is achieved by calculating eventsource back azimuths from the seismic polarizations of rockfall signals.In this study,we proposed the use of an overdetermined matrix for joint localization based on the polarization method.The overdetermined matrix considers the contributions of all geophones in the network,and at each geophone is assigned a different weight according to the recorded signal qualities and the reliability of the calibrated back azimuths.This method shows a great advantage relative to the case in which only two sensors are employed.Besides,we suggested three marker parameters for proper frequency band selection in back azimuth calculations:energy,rectilinearity,and a special permanent frequency band(SPF).We found that the back azimuths calculated with energy and an SPF are generally close to the real back azimuths measured in the field,while the SPF is limited by seismic attenuation due to a long-distance propagation.The localization results of rockfalls were validated by using field camera videos and in situ calibrations.Three typical cases and 43 artificially released rockfalls are presented in this paper.The proposed method provides an interesting way to locate rockfall events and track rockfall trajectories and avoids the difficulties of obtaining accurate arrival times,as required by the arrival times method.

Could Ambient Vibrations Be Related to <i>Cerithidea decollate</i>Migration?

Physiological and behavioral systems exist to reduce the stress that the intertidal fauna may face during the unsuitable tidal phase. Cerithidea decollata is a common western Indian Ocean mangrove gastropod. It feeds on the ground at low tide, and climbs the trees two-three hours before the water arrival to avoid submersion. Moreover, it regularly settles on the trunk roughly 40 centimeters above the level that the water will reach, in spite of the irregular East African tidal pattern. Migration usually takes place about twice a day unless at Neap Tide, when snails may remain on the dry ground. Biological clock cannot account for water level foreseeing while direct visual cues or chemical information from the water itself or from previous migrations have already been experimentally discarded. Indirect cues could be hypothesize related to the effect of the oceanic wave reaching the coast and the barrier reef (seismic noise), or alternatively related to changes in ground resistivity (self potential) caused by the sea water moving close. To verify these hypotheses a seismic noise and self potential survey was carried out at Mida Creek (Kenya). This paper presents the first results of the seismic noise measurements. A significant correlation between the time evolution (mean value) of the low frequency seismic signal, tides, and snails movements has been identified.