Geology topics

Y. Xu

Publications and source records attributed to Y. Xu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2020

Twelve-year dynamics and rainfall thresholds for alternating creep and rapid movement of the Hooskanaden landslide from integrating InSAR, pixel offset tracking, and borehole and hydrological measurements

The Hooskanaden landslide is a large (~600 m wide × 1,300 m long), deep (~30 – 45 m) slide located in southwestern Oregon. Since 1958, it has had five moderate/major movements that catastrophically damaged the intersecting U.S. Highway 101, along with persistent slow wet‐season movements and a long‐term accelerating trend due to coastal erosion. Multiple remote sensing approaches, borehole measurements, and hydrological observations have been integrated to interpret the motion behaviors of the slide. Pixel offset tracking of both Sentinel‐1 and Sentinel‐2 images was carried out to reconstruct the 3‐D displacement field of the 2019 major event, and the results agree well with field measurements. A 12‐year displacement history of the landslide from 2007 to 2019 has been retrieved by incorporating offsets from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) digital elevation model (DEM) gradients and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) processing of ALOS and Sentinel‐1 images. Comparisons with daily/hourly ground precipitation reveal that the motion dynamics are predominantly controlled by intensity and temporal pattern of rainfall. A new empirical threefold rainfall threshold was therefore proposed to forecast the dates for the moderate/major movements. This threshold relies upon antecedent water‐year and previous 3‐day and daily precipitation and was able to represent observed movement periods well. Adaptation of our threshold methodology could prove useful for other large, deep landslides for which temporal forecasting has long been generally intractable. The averaged characteristic hydraulic conductivity and diffusivity were estimated as 6.6 × 10 −6 m/s and 6.6 × 10 −4 m 2 /s, respectively, based on the time lags between rainfall pulses and slide accelerations. Hydrologic modeling using these parameters helps to explain the ability of the new rainfall threshold.

Oregon↗

USGS2011

Analysis of dispersion and attenuation of surface waves in poroelastic media in the exploration-seismic frequency band

We analyse dispersion and attenuation of surface waves at free surfaces of possible vacuum/poroelastic media: permeable-‘open pore’, impermeable-‘closed pore’ and partially permeable boundaries, which have not been previously reported in detail by researchers, under different surface-permeable, viscous-damping, elastic and fluid-flowing conditions. Our discussion is focused on their characteristics in the exploration-seismic frequency band (a few through 200 Hz) for near-surface applications. We find two surface-wave modes exist, R 1 waves for all conditions, and R 2 waves for closed-pore and partially permeable conditions. For R 1 waves, velocities disperse most under partially permeable conditions and least under the open-pore condition. High-coupling damping coefficients move the main dispersion frequency range to high frequencies. There is an f 1 frequency dependence as a constant- Q model for attenuation at high frequencies. R 1 waves for the open pore are most sensitive to elastic modulus variation, but least sensitive to tortuosities variation. R 1 waves for partially permeable surface radiate as non-physical waves (Im( k ) < 0) at low frequencies. For R 2 waves, velocities are slightly lower than the bulk slow P 2 waves. At low frequencies, both velocity and attenuation are diffusive of f 1/2 frequency dependence, as P 2 waves. It is found that for partially permeable surfaces, the attenuation displays - f 1 frequency dependence as frequency increasing. High surface permeability, low-coupling damping coefficients, low Poisson′s ratios, and low tortuosities increase the slope of the - f 1 dependence. When the attenuation coefficients reach 0, R 2 waves for partially permeable surface begin to radiate as non-physical waves.

Geophysical Journal International↗

USGS2010

Finite-difference modeling and dispersion analysis of high-frequency love waves for near-surface applications

Love-wave propagation has been a topic of interest to crustal, earthquake, and engineering seismologists for many years because it is independent of Poisson's ratio and more sensitive to shear (S)-wave velocity changes and layer thickness changes than are Rayleigh waves. It is well known that Love-wave generation requires the existence of a low S-wave velocity layer in a multilayered earth model. In order to study numerically the propagation of Love waves in a layered earth model and dispersion characteristics for near-surface applications, we simulate high-frequency (>5 Hz) Love waves by the staggered-grid finite-difference (FD) method. The air-earth boundary (the shear stress above the free surface) is treated using the stress-imaging technique. We use a two-layer model to demonstrate the accuracy of the staggered-grid modeling scheme. We also simulate four-layer models including a low-velocity layer (LVL) or a high-velocity layer (HVL) to analyze dispersive energy characteristics for near-surface applications. Results demonstrate that: (1) the staggered-grid FD code and stress-imaging technique are suitable for treating the free-surface boundary conditions for Love-wave modeling, (2) Love-wave inversion should be treated with extra care when a LVL exists because of a lack of LVL information in dispersions aggravating uncertainties in the inversion procedure, and (3) energy of high modes in a low-frequency range is very weak, so that it is difficult to estimate the cutoff frequency accurately, and "mode-crossing" occurs between the second higher and third higher modes when a HVL exists. ?? 2010 Birkh??user / Springer Basel AG.

Pure and Applied Geophysics↗

USGS2010

A trade-off solution between model resolution and covariance in surface-wave inversion

Regularization is necessary for inversion of ill-posed geophysical problems. Appraisal of inverse models is essential for meaningful interpretation of these models. Because uncertainties are associated with regularization parameters, extra conditions are usually required to determine proper parameters for assessing inverse models. Commonly used techniques for assessment of a geophysical inverse model derived (generally iteratively) from a linear system are based on calculating the model resolution and the model covariance matrices. Because the model resolution and the model covariance matrices of the regularized solutions are controlled by the regularization parameter, direct assessment of inverse models using only the covariance matrix may provide incorrect results. To assess an inverted model, we use the concept of a trade-off between model resolution and covariance to find a proper regularization parameter with singular values calculated in the last iteration. We plot the singular values from large to small to form a singular value plot. A proper regularization parameter is normally the first singular value that approaches zero in the plot. With this regularization parameter, we obtain a trade-off solution between model resolution and model covariance in the vicinity of a regularized solution. The unit covariance matrix can then be used to calculate error bars of the inverse model at a resolution level determined by the regularization parameter. We demonstrate this approach with both synthetic and real surface-wave data. ?? 2010 Birkh??user / Springer Basel AG.

Pure and Applied Geophysics↗

USGS2009

High-frequency Rayleigh-wave method

High-frequency (≥2 Hz) Rayleigh-wave data acquired with a multichannel recording system have been utilized to determine shear (S)-wave velocities in near-surface geophysics since the early 1980s. This overview article discusses the main research results of high-frequency surface-wave techniques achieved by research groups at the Kansas Geological Survey and China University of Geosciences in the last 15 years. The multichannel analysis of surface wave (MASW) method is a non-invasive acoustic approach to estimate near-surface S-wave velocity. The differences between MASW results and direct borehole measurements are approximately 15% or less and random. Studies show that simultaneous inversion with higher modes and the fundamental mode can increase model resolution and an investigation depth. The other important seismic property, quality factor ( Q ), can also be estimated with the MASW method by inverting attenuation coefficients of Rayleigh waves. An inverted model (S-wave velocity or Q ) obtained using a damped least-squares method can be assessed by an optimal damping vector in a vicinity of the inverted model determined by an objective function, which is the trace of a weighted sum of model-resolution and model-covariance matrices. Current developments include modeling high-frequency Rayleigh-waves in near-surface media, which builds a foundation for shallow seismic or Rayleigh-wave inversion in the time-offset domain; imaging dispersive energy with high resolution in the frequency-velocity domain and possibly with data in an arbitrary acquisition geometry, which opens a door for 3D surface-wave techniques; and successfully separating surface-wave modes, which provides a valuable tool to perform S-wave velocity profiling with high-horizontal resolution.

Earth Science↗

USGS2009

Approximation to cutoffs of higher modes of Rayleigh waves for a layered earth model

A cutoff defines the long-period termination of a Rayleigh-wave higher mode and, therefore is a key characteristic of higher mode energy relationship to several material properties of the subsurface. Cutoffs have been used to estimate the shear-wave velocity of an underlying half space of a layered earth model. In this study, we describe a method that replaces the multilayer earth model with a single surface layer overlying the half-space model, accomplished by harmonic averaging of velocities and arithmetic averaging of densities. Using numerical comparisons with theoretical models validates the single-layer approximation. Accuracy of this single-layer approximation is best defined by values of the calculated error in the frequency and phase velocity estimate at a cutoff. Our proposed method is intuitively explained using ray theory. Numerical results indicate that a cutoffs frequency is controlled by the averaged elastic properties within the passing depth of Rayleigh waves and the shear-wave velocity of the underlying half space. ?? Birkh??user Verlag, Basel 2009.

Pure and Applied Geophysics↗

USGS2008

A trade-off between model resolution and variance with selected Rayleigh-wave data

Inversion of multimode surface-wave data is of increasing interest in the near-surface geophysics community. For a given near-surface geophysical problem, it is essential to understand how well the data, calculated according to a layered-earth model, might match the observed data. A data-resolution matrix is a function of the data kernel (determined by a geophysical model and a priori information applied to the problem), not the data. A data-resolution matrix of high-frequency (??? 2 Hz) Rayleigh-wave phase velocities, therefore, offers a quantitative tool for designing field surveys and predicting the match between calculated and observed data. First, we employed a data-resolution matrix to select data that would be well predicted and to explain advantages of incorporating higher modes in inversion. The resulting discussion using the data-resolution matrix provides insight into the process of inverting Rayleigh-wave phase velocities with higher mode data to estimate S-wave velocity structure. Discussion also suggested that each near-surface geophysical target can only be resolved using Rayleigh-wave phase velocities within specific frequency ranges, and higher mode data are normally more accurately predicted than fundamental mode data because of restrictions on the data kernel for the inversion system. Second, we obtained an optimal damping vector in a vicinity of an inverted model by the singular value decomposition of a trade-off function of model resolution and variance. In the end of the paper, we used a real-world example to demonstrate that selected data with the data-resolution matrix can provide better inversion results and to explain with the data-resolution matrix why incorporating higher mode data in inversion can provide better results. We also calculated model-resolution matrices of these examples to show the potential of increasing model resolution with selected surface-wave data. With the optimal damping vector, we can improve and assess an inverted model obtained by a damped least-square method.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2008

Data-resolution matrix and model-resolution matrix for Rayleigh-wave inversion using a damped least-squares method

Inversion of multimode surface-wave data is of increasing interest in the near-surface geophysics community. For a given near-surface geophysical problem, it is essential to understand how well the data, calculated according to a layered-earth model, might match the observed data. A data-resolution matrix is a function of the data kernel (determined by a geophysical model and a priori information applied to the problem), not the data. A data-resolution matrix of high-frequency (>2 Hz) Rayleigh-wave phase velocities, therefore, offers a quantitative tool for designing field surveys and predicting the match between calculated and observed data. We employed a data-resolution matrix to select data that would be well predicted and we find that there are advantages of incorporating higher modes in inversion. The resulting discussion using the data-resolution matrix provides insight into the process of inverting Rayleigh-wave phase velocities with higher-mode data to estimate S-wave velocity structure. Discussion also suggested that each near-surface geophysical target can only be resolved using Rayleigh-wave phase velocities within specific frequency ranges, and higher-mode data are normally more accurately predicted than fundamental-mode data because of restrictions on the data kernel for the inversion system. We used synthetic and real-world examples to demonstrate that selected data with the data-resolution matrix can provide better inversion results and to explain with the data-resolution matrix why incorporating higher-mode data in inversion can provide better results. We also calculated model-resolution matrices in these examples to show the potential of increasing model resolution with selected surface-wave data. ?? Birkhaueser 2008.

Pure and Applied Geophysics↗

USGS2008

Rayleigh-wave dispersive energy imaging using a high-resolution linear radon transform

Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) analysis is an efficient tool to obtain the vertical shear-wave profile. One of the key steps in the MASW method is to generate an image of dispersive energy in the frequency-velocity domain, so dispersion curves can be determined by picking peaks of dispersion energy. In this paper, we propose to image Rayleigh-wave dispersive energy by high-resolution linear Radon transform (LRT). The shot gather is first transformed along the time direction to the frequency domain and then the Rayleigh-wave dispersive energy can be imaged by high-resolution LRT using a weighted preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithm. Synthetic data with a set of linear events are presented to show the process of generating dispersive energy. Results of synthetic and real-world examples demonstrate that, compared with the slant stacking algorithm, high-resolution LRT can improve the resolution of images of dispersion energy by more than 50%. ?? Birkhaueser 2008.

Pure and Applied Geophysics↗

USGS2008

Generation of a pseudo-2D shear-wave velocity section by inversion of a series of 1D dispersion curves

Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves utilizes a multichannel recording system to estimate near-surface shear (S)-wave velocities from high-frequency Rayleigh waves. A pseudo-2D S-wave velocity (vS) section is constructed by aligning 1D models at the midpoint of each receiver spread and using a spatial interpolation scheme. The horizontal resolution of the section is therefore most influenced by the receiver spread length and the source interval. The receiver spread length sets the theoretical lower limit and any vS structure with its lateral dimension smaller than this length will not be properly resolved in the final vS section. A source interval smaller than the spread length will not improve the horizontal resolution because spatial smearing has already been introduced by the receiver spread. In this paper, we first analyze the horizontal resolution of a pair of synthetic traces. Resolution analysis shows that (1) a pair of traces with a smaller receiver spacing achieves higher horizontal resolution of inverted S-wave velocities but results in a larger relative error; (2) the relative error of the phase velocity at a high frequency is smaller than at a low frequency; and (3) a relative error of the inverted S-wave velocity is affected by the signal-to-noise ratio of data. These results provide us with a guideline to balance the trade-off between receiver spacing (horizontal resolution) and accuracy of the inverted S-wave velocity. We then present a scheme to generate a pseudo-2D S-wave velocity section with high horizontal resolution using multichannel records by inverting high-frequency surface-wave dispersion curves calculated through cross-correlation combined with a phase-shift scanning method. This method chooses only a pair of consecutive traces within a shot gather to calculate a dispersion curve. We finally invert surface-wave dispersion curves of synthetic and real-world data. Inversion results of both synthetic and real-world data demonstrate that inverting high-frequency surface-wave dispersion curves - by a pair of traces through cross-correlation with phase-shift scanning method and with the damped least-square method and the singular-value decomposition technique - can feasibly achieve a reliable pseudo-2D S-wave velocity section with relatively high horizontal resolution. ?? 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Journal of Applied Geophysics↗

USGS2007

Comparison of the uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organochlorine pesticides by semipermeable membrane devices and caged fish (Carassius carassius) in Taihu Lake, China

Uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) by triolein-containing semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) and by crucian carp (Carassius carassius) was studied in Taihu Lake, a shallow, freshwater lake in China. Crucian carp and SPMDs were deployed side by side for 32 d. The first-order uptake rate constants of individual PAHs and OCPs for the two matrices were calculated and compared to relate the amounts of chemicals accumulated by the matrices to dissolved water concentrations. On a wet-weight basis, total concentrations of PAHs and OCPs in crucian carp fillets averaged 49.5 and 13.6 ng/g, respectively, after the 32-d exposure, whereas concentrations in whole SPMDs averaged 716.9 and 62.3 ng/g, respectively. The uptake rate constants of PAHs and OCPs by SPMDs averaged seven- and fivefold higher, respectively, than those for crucian carp; however, the patterns of uptake rate constants derived from test chemical concentrations in the crucian carp and SPMDs were similar. Although equilibrium was not reached for some PAHs and OCPs during the 32-d exposure period, a reasonably good correlation between the concentration factors (CFs) and octanol/water partition coefficient (K ow) values of PAHs and OCPs in SPMDs (r = 0.86, p < 0.001) was observed when potential sorption to dissolved organic carbon was taken into account. Similar efforts to correlate the CFs and Kow values of PAHs and OCPs in crucian carp (r = 0.75, p < 0.001) were less successful, likely because of PAH metabolism by finfish. Overall, the present results suggest that SPMDs may serve as a surrogate for contaminant monitoring with fish in freshwater lake environments. ?? 2007 SETAC.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS2007

Generating an image of dispersive energy by frequency decomposition and slant stacking

We present a new algorithm for calculating an image of dispersive energy in the frequency-velocity (f-v) domain. The frequency decomposition is first applied to a shot gather in the offset-time domain to stretch impulsive data into pseudo-vibroseis data or frequency-swept data. Because there is a deterministic relationship between frequency and time in a sweep used in the frequency decomposition, the first step theoretically completes the transform from time to frequency. The slant stacking is then performed on the frequency-swept data to complete the transform from offset to velocity. This simple two-step algorithm generates an image of dispersive energy in the f-v domain. The straightforward transform only uses offset information of data so that this algorithm can be applied to data acquired with arbitrary geophone-acquisition geometry. Examples of synthetic and real-world data demonstrate that this algorithm generates accurate images of dispersive energy of the fundamental as well as higher modes. ?? Birkha??user Verlag, Basel, 2007.

Pure and Applied Geophysics↗

USGS2006

Rayleigh-wave diffractions due to a void in the layered half space

Void detection is challenging due to the complexity of near-surface materials and the limited resolution of geophysical methods. Although multichannel, high-frequency, surface-wave techniques can provide reliable shear (S)-wave velocities in different geological settings, they are not suitable for detecting voids directly based on anomalies of the S-wave velocity because of limitations on the resolution of S-wave velocity profiles inverted from surface-wave phase velocities. Xia et al. (2006a) derived a Rayleigh-wave diffraction traveltime equation due to a void in the homogeneous half space. Encouraging results of directly detecting a void from Rayleigh-wave diffractions were presented (Xia et al., 2006a). In this paper we used four two-dimensional square voids in the layered half space to demonstrate the feasibility of detecting a void with Rayleigh-wave diffractions. Rayleigh-wave diffractions were recognizable for all these models after removing direct surface waves by F-K filtering. We evaluate the feasibility of applying the Rayleigh-wave diffraction traveltime equation to a void in the layered earth model. The phase velocity of diffracted Rayleigh waves is predominately determined by surrounding materials of a void. The modeling results demonstrate that the Rayleigh-wave diffraction traveltime equation due to a void in the homogeneous half space can be applied to the case of a void in the layered half space. In practice, only two diffraction times are necessary to define the depth to the top of a void and the average velocity of diffracted Rayleigh waves. ?? 2005 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts↗

USGS2006

Estimation of pseudo-2D shear-velocity section by inversion of high frequency surface waves

A scheme to generate pseudo-2D shear-velocity sections with high horizontal resolution and low field cost by inversion of high frequency surface waves is presented. It contains six steps. The key step is the joint method of crossed correlation and phase shift scanning. This joint method chooses only two traces to generate image of dispersion curve. For Rayleigh-wave dispersion is most important for estimation of near-surface shear-wave velocity, it can effectively obtain reliable images of dispersion curves with a couple of traces. The result of a synthetic example shows the feasibility of this scheme. ?? 2005 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts↗

USGS2006

Estimation of elastic moduli in a compressible Gibson half-space by inverting Rayleigh-wave phase velocity

A Gibson half-space model (a non-layered Earth model) has the shear modulus varying linearly with depth in an inhomogeneous elastic half-space. In a half-space of sedimentary granular soil under a geostatic state of initial stress, the density and the Poisson's ratio do not vary considerably with depth. In such an Earth body, the dynamic shear modulus is the parameter that mainly affects the dispersion of propagating waves. We have estimated shear-wave velocities in the compressible Gibson half-space by inverting Rayleigh-wave phase velocities. An analytical dispersion law of Rayleigh-type waves in a compressible Gibson half-space is given in an algebraic form, which makes our inversion process extremely simple and fast. The convergence of the weighted damping solution is guaranteed through selection of the damping factor using the Levenberg-Marquardt method. Calculation efficiency is achieved by reconstructing a weighted damping solution using singular value decomposition techniques. The main advantage of this algorithm is that only three parameters define the compressible Gibson half-space model. Theoretically, to determine the model by the inversion, only three Rayleigh-wave phase velocities at different frequencies are required. This is useful in practice where Rayleigh-wave energy is only developed in a limited frequency range or at certain frequencies as data acquired at manmade structures such as dams and levees. Two real examples are presented and verified by borehole S-wave velocity measurements. The results of these real examples are also compared with the results of the layered-Earth model. ?? Springer 2006.

Surveys in Geophysics↗

USGS2006

Quantitative estimation of minimum offset for multichannel surface-wave survey with actively exciting source

Multichannel analysis of surface waves is a developing method widely used in shallow subsurface investigations. The field procedures and related parameters are very important for successful applications. Among these parameters, the source-receiver offset range is seldom discussed in theory and normally determined by empirical or semi-quantitative methods in current practice. This paper discusses the problem from a theoretical perspective. A formula for quantitatively evaluating a layered homogenous elastic model was developed. The analytical results based on simple models and experimental data demonstrate that the formula is correct for surface wave surveys for near-surface applications. ?? 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Journal of Applied Geophysics↗

USGS2006

Simple equations guide high-frequency surface-wave investigation techniques

We discuss five useful equations related to high-frequency surface-wave techniques and their implications in practice. These equations are theoretical results from published literature regarding source selection, data-acquisition parameters, resolution of a dispersion curve image in the frequency-velocity domain, and the cut-off frequency of high modes. The first equation suggests Rayleigh waves appear in the shortest offset when a source is located on the ground surface, which supports our observations that surface impact sources are the best source for surface-wave techniques. The second and third equations, based on the layered earth model, reveal a relationship between the optimal nearest offset in Rayleigh-wave data acquisition and seismic setting - the observed maximum and minimum phase velocities, and the maximum wavelength. Comparison among data acquired with different offsets at one test site confirms the better data were acquired with the suggested optimal nearest offset. The fourth equation illustrates that resolution of a dispersion curve image at a given frequency is directly proportional to the product of a length of a geophone array and the frequency. We used real-world data to verify the fourth equation. The last equation shows that the cut-off frequency of high modes of Love waves for a two-layer model is determined by shear-wave velocities and the thickness of the top layer. We applied this equation to Rayleigh waves and multi-layer models with the average velocity and obtained encouraging results. This equation not only endows with a criterion to distinguish high modes from numerical artifacts but also provides a straightforward means to resolve the depth to the half space of a layered earth model. ?? 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering↗

USGS2004

Correlative weighted stacking for seismic data in the wavelet domain

Horizontal stacking plays a crucial role for modern seismic data processing, for it not only compresses random noise and multiple reflections, but also provides a foundational data for subsequent migration and inversion. However, a number of examples showed that random noise in adjacent traces exhibits correlation and coherence. The average stacking and weighted stacking based on the conventional correlative function all result in false events, which are caused by noise. Wavelet transform and high order statistics are very useful methods for modern signal processing. The multiresolution analysis in wavelet theory can decompose signal on difference scales, and high order correlative function can inhibit correlative noise, for which the conventional correlative function is of no use. Based on the theory of wavelet transform and high order statistics, high order correlative weighted stacking (HOCWS) technique is presented in this paper. Its essence is to stack common midpoint gathers after the normal moveout correction by weight that is calculated through high order correlative statistics in the wavelet domain. Synthetic examples demonstrate its advantages in improving the signal to noise (S/N) ration and compressing the correlative random noise.

Conference Paper↗