Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Seismology, the science of earthquakes
- 2 Fundamental equations of an elastic medium
- 3 Elastic waves
- 4 Normal mode theory
- 5 Reflection and refraction
- 6 Ray theory. Media of constant velocity
- 7 Ray theory. Media of variable velocity
- 8 Ray propagation in a spherical medium
- 9 Travel times and the structure of the Earth
- 10 Surface waves
- 11 Wave propagation in layered media
- 12 Wave dispersion. Phase and group velocities
- 13 Free oscillations of the Earth
- 14 Anelasticity and anisotropy
- 15 Focal parameters of earthquakes
- 16 The source mechanism
- 17 The seismic moment tensor
- 18 Models of fracture
- 19 Methods of determination of source mechanisms
- 20 Seismicity, seismotectonics, and seismic risk
- 21 Seismographs and seismograms
- Appendix 1 Vectors and tensors
- Appendix 2 Cyclindrical and spherical coordinates
- Appendix 3 Bessel and Legendre functions
- Appendix 4 Fourier transforms
- Appendix 5 Parameters of the Earth
- Appendix 6 The interior of the Earth
- Appendix 7 Important earthquakes
- Appendix 8 Problems and exercises
- Bibliography
- References
- Index
9 - Travel times and the structure of the Earth
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Seismology, the science of earthquakes
- 2 Fundamental equations of an elastic medium
- 3 Elastic waves
- 4 Normal mode theory
- 5 Reflection and refraction
- 6 Ray theory. Media of constant velocity
- 7 Ray theory. Media of variable velocity
- 8 Ray propagation in a spherical medium
- 9 Travel times and the structure of the Earth
- 10 Surface waves
- 11 Wave propagation in layered media
- 12 Wave dispersion. Phase and group velocities
- 13 Free oscillations of the Earth
- 14 Anelasticity and anisotropy
- 15 Focal parameters of earthquakes
- 16 The source mechanism
- 17 The seismic moment tensor
- 18 Models of fracture
- 19 Methods of determination of source mechanisms
- 20 Seismicity, seismotectonics, and seismic risk
- 21 Seismographs and seismograms
- Appendix 1 Vectors and tensors
- Appendix 2 Cyclindrical and spherical coordinates
- Appendix 3 Bessel and Legendre functions
- Appendix 4 Fourier transforms
- Appendix 5 Parameters of the Earth
- Appendix 6 The interior of the Earth
- Appendix 7 Important earthquakes
- Appendix 8 Problems and exercises
- Bibliography
- References
- Index
Summary
Observations and methods
In Chapters 6–8 we have seen how travel time curves depend on the characteristics of the media through which the seismic waves propagate and that the velocity's distribution with depth can be deduced from them. In this chapter we will apply these results to observations regarding the Earth and discuss the results concerning its internal structure obtained. For short distances (less than 1000 km) we can use the flat-Earth approximation and plane geometry. Seismic waves for that range of distances give information on depths of about 100 km, that is, on the crust and part of the upper mantle. For this range of distances we can apply the theory derived in Chapters 6 and 7. For greater distances the spherical shape of the Earth must be considered, so the results of Chapter 8 must be applied. The effects due to the deviations of the form of the Earth from a sphere, that is, mainly its flatness, can be taken into account by using corrections to the spherical model. In seismology these effects are not very important.
The first seismic waves used for the study of the Earth's structure were those produced by earthquakes. Even today this is the main source of information, especially for the deep interior. Among the first tables and curves of travel times of seismic waves were those of Oldham, who in 1906 deduced the existence of the Earth's core. These tables were completed by Zöppritz and Turner and later, in 1914, by Gutenberg.
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- Chapter
- Information
- Principles of Seismology , pp. 153 - 182Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2000