Seismic velocity structure

The velocity structure of the Earth. The red line is the P-wave velocity, the blue line is the S-wave velocity, and the green line density. (Data was adopted from the RockHound Python library.)

Seismic velocity structure is the distribution and variation of seismic wave speeds within Earth's and other planetary bodies' subsurface. It is reflective of subsurface properties such as material composition, density, porosity, and temperature.[1] Geophysicists rely on the analysis and interpretation of the velocity structure to develop refined models of the subsurface geology, which are essential in resource exploration, earthquake seismology, and advancing our understanding of Earth's geological development.[2]

  1. ^ Dziewonski, Adam M.; Woodhouse, John H. (1987-04-03). "Global Images of the Earth's Interior". Science. 236 (4797): 37–48. Bibcode:1987Sci...236...37D. doi:10.1126/science.236.4797.37. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 17759204. S2CID 31488210.
  2. ^ Mavko, Gary; Mukerji, Tapan; Dvorkin, Jack (2009). The Rock Physics Handbook: Tools for Seismic Analysis of Porous Media (2 ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511626753. ISBN 9780521861366.