Coda pattern and multipath propagation of Rayleigh waves at NORSAR

Abstract The coda of Rayleigh waves from fifteen earthquakes recorded at the Norwegian Seismic Array (NORSAR) have been analyzed in wavenumber space at periods of 40 and 20 sec. The power at 40 sec drops off faster vs. time, which reduces the probability of interference between events. On the other side, the capability of the array to resolve signals under various conditions is better at 20 sec. Since also the frequency distribution of signal power varies, one cannot determine any specific frequency as generally having the best signal/interference ratio. The detection problem is also complicated by considerable multipath propagation, which is most severe at 20 sec. Multipath arrivals with as much as 40–60° azimuthal deviation are frequently identified. Travel path solutions for different events are proposed, and usually the rays have been found to be refracted or reflected at continental boundaries. An atmospheric nuclear explosion from Lop Nor has been used to illustrate these various aspects of the problem of detecting one Rayleigh wave in the presence of another.