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  • Seismic wave attenuation fr...
    Bethmann, Falko; Deichmann, Nicholas; Mai, PMartin

    Geophysical journal international, 08/2012, Letnik: 190, Številka: 2
    Journal Article

    We investigate attenuation (Q-1) of sediments of 2.5-3.5km thickness underneath the city of Basel, Switzerland. We use recordings of 195 induced events that were obtained during and after the stimulation of a reservoir for a Deep Heat Mining Project in 2006 and 2007. The data set is ideally suited to estimate Q as all events are confined to a small source volume and were recorded by a dense surface network as well as six borehole sensors at various depths. The deepest borehole sensor is positioned at a depth of 2.7km inside the crystalline basement at a mean hypocentral distance of 1.8km. This allows us to measure Q for frequencies between 10 and 130 Hz. We apply two different methods to estimate Q. First, we use a standard spectral ratio technique to obtain Q, and as a second measure we estimate Q in the time domain, by convolving signals recorded by the deepest sensor with a Q operator and then comparing the convolved signals to recordings at the shallower stations. Both methods deliver comparable values for Q. We also observe similar attenuation for P- and S- waves (QP similar to QS). As expected, Q increases with depth, but with values around 30-50, it is low even for the consolidated Permian and Mesozoic sediments between 500 and 2700 m.