Articles | Volume 11, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-2015-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-2015-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Using horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios to construct shear-wave velocity profiles
Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen,
University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 6, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
R&D Seismology and Acoustics, Royal Netherlands Meteorological
Institute, Utrechtseweg 297, 3731 GA De Bilt, the Netherlands
Invited contribution by Janneke van Ginkel, recipient of the EGU Seismology Outstanding Student Poster and PICO Award 2019.
Elmer Ruigrok
Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen,
University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 6, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB Utrecht, the Netherlands
Rien Herber
Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen,
University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 6, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
Related authors
Antoine Paul Zaninetti, Martin P. Lüthi, Adrien Justin Wehrlé, Janneke van Ginkel, and Ana Nap
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2963, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2963, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the spectral and thermal properties of the strikingly blue ice present on freshly calved icebergs from polar ice streams using satellite multispectral imaging and on-site thermal imaging. Blue ice has intriguing properties. Whether it is cold or temperate is an important question for the understanding of the fast, complex dynamics of ice streams.
Janneke van Ginkel, Fabian Walter, Fabian Lindner, Miroslav Hallo, Matthias Huss, and Donat Fäh
The Cryosphere, 19, 1469–1490, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1469-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1469-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study on Glacier de la Plaine Morte in Switzerland employs various passive seismic analysis methods to identify complex hydraulic behaviours at the ice–bedrock interface. In 4 months of seismic records, we detect spatio-temporal variations in the glacier's basal interface, following the drainage of an ice-marginal lake. We identify a low-velocity layer, whose properties are determined using modelling techniques. This low-velocity layer results from temporary water storage subglacially.
Janneke van Ginkel, Elmer Ruigrok, Jan Stafleu, and Rien Herber
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 41–63, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-41-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-41-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A soft, shallow subsurface composition has the tendency to amplify earthquake waves, resulting in increased ground shaking. Therefore, this paper presents a workflow in order to obtain a map classifying the response of the subsurface based on local geology, earthquake signals, and background noise recordings for the Netherlands. The resulting map can be used as a first assessment in regions with earthquake hazard potential by mining or geothermal energy activities, for example.
Antoine Paul Zaninetti, Martin P. Lüthi, Adrien Justin Wehrlé, Janneke van Ginkel, and Ana Nap
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2963, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2963, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the spectral and thermal properties of the strikingly blue ice present on freshly calved icebergs from polar ice streams using satellite multispectral imaging and on-site thermal imaging. Blue ice has intriguing properties. Whether it is cold or temperate is an important question for the understanding of the fast, complex dynamics of ice streams.
Janneke van Ginkel, Fabian Walter, Fabian Lindner, Miroslav Hallo, Matthias Huss, and Donat Fäh
The Cryosphere, 19, 1469–1490, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1469-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1469-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study on Glacier de la Plaine Morte in Switzerland employs various passive seismic analysis methods to identify complex hydraulic behaviours at the ice–bedrock interface. In 4 months of seismic records, we detect spatio-temporal variations in the glacier's basal interface, following the drainage of an ice-marginal lake. We identify a low-velocity layer, whose properties are determined using modelling techniques. This low-velocity layer results from temporary water storage subglacially.
Janneke van Ginkel, Elmer Ruigrok, Jan Stafleu, and Rien Herber
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 41–63, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-41-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-41-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A soft, shallow subsurface composition has the tendency to amplify earthquake waves, resulting in increased ground shaking. Therefore, this paper presents a workflow in order to obtain a map classifying the response of the subsurface based on local geology, earthquake signals, and background noise recordings for the Netherlands. The resulting map can be used as a first assessment in regions with earthquake hazard potential by mining or geothermal energy activities, for example.
Irene Bianchi, Elmer Ruigrok, Anne Obermann, and Edi Kissling
Solid Earth, 12, 1185–1196, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1185-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1185-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The European Alps formed during collision between the European and Adriatic plates and are one of the most studied orogens for understanding the dynamics of mountain building. In the Eastern Alps, the contact between the colliding plates is still a matter of debate. We have used the records from distant earthquakes to highlight the geometries of the crust–mantle boundary in the Eastern Alpine area; our results suggest a complex and faulted internal crustal structure beneath the higher crests.
Cited articles
Arai, H. and Tokimatsu, K.: S-wave velocity profiling by joint inversion of
microtremor dispersion curve and horizontal-to-vertical (H/V) spectrum,
B. Seismol. Soc. Am., 95, 1766–1778, 2005. a
Bard, P.-Y.: Microtremor measurements: a tool for site effect estimation, The
effects of surface geology on seismic motion, The effects of surface geology on seismic motion, 3, 1251–1279, 1999. a
Bard, P.-Y., Campillo, M., Chavez-Garcia, F., and Sanchez-Sesma, F.: The
Mexico earthquake of September 19, 1985—A theoretical investigation of
large-and small-scale amplification effects in the Mexico City Valley,
Earthquake Spectra, 4, 609–633, 1988. a
Bignardi, S.: The uncertainty of estimating the thickness of soft sediments
with the HVSR method: A computational point of view on weak lateral
variations, J. Appl. Geophys., 145, 28–38, 2017. a
Bignardi, S., Mantovani, A., and Abu Zeid, N.: OpenHVSR: imaging the
subsurface 2D/3D elastic properties through multiple HVSR
modeling and inversion, Comput. Geosci., 93, 103–113, 2016. a
Bommer, J. J., Dost, B., Edwards, B., Stafford, P. J., van Elk, J., Doornhof,
D., and Ntinalexis, M.: Developing an Application Specific Ground Motion
Model for Induced Seismicity, B. Seismol. Soc. Am., 106, 158, https://doi.org/10.1785/0120150184, 2016. a, b
Bommer, J. J., Stafford, P. J., Edwards, B., Dost, B., van Dedem, E.,
Rodriguez-Marek, A., Kruiver, P., van Elk, J., Doornhof, D., and Ntinalexis,
M.: Framework for a ground-motion model for induced seismic hazard and risk
analysis in the Groningen gas field, the Netherlands, Earthquake Spectra,
33, 481–498, 2017. a, b, c
Bonnefoy-Claudet, S., Cotton, F., and Bard, P.-Y.: The nature of noise
wavefield and its applications for site effects studies: A literature
review, Earth-Sci. Rev., 79, 205–227, 2006b. a
Bradley, B. A.: Strong ground motion characteristics observed in the 4
September 2010 Darfield, New Zealand earthquake, Soil Dyn. Earthq. Eng., 42, 32–46, 2012. a
Brenguier, F., Courbis, R., Mordret, A., Campman, X., Boué, P., Chmiel, M.,
Takano, T., Lecocq, T., Van der Veen, W., Postif, S., et al.: Noise-based
ballistic wave passive seismic monitoring, Part 1: body waves, Geophys. J. Int., 221, 683–691, 2020. a
Chmiel, M., Mordret, A., Boué, P., Brenguier, F., Lecocq, T., Courbis, R.,
Hollis, D., Campman, X., Romijn, R., and Van der Veen, W.: Ambient noise
multimode Rayleigh and Love wave tomography to determine the shear
velocity structure above the Groningen gas field, Geophys. J. Int., 218, 1781–1795, 2019. a
Dost, B., Ruigrok, E., and Spetzler, J.: Development of seismicity and
probabilistic hazard assessment for the Groningen gas field, Neth. J. Geosci., 96, 235–245, https://doi.org/10.1017/njg.2017.20, 2017. a, b
Fäh, D., Kind, F., and Giardini, D.: Inversion of local S-wave velocity
structures from average H/V ratios, and their use for the estimation of
site-effects, J. Seismol., 7, 449–467, 2003. a
Ferreira, A. M. and Woodhouse, J. H.: Source, path and receiver effects on
seismic surface waves, Geophys. J. Int., 168, 109–132,
2007a. a
Ferreira, A. M. and Woodhouse, J. H.: Observations of long period Rayleigh
wave ellipticity, Geophys. J. Int., 169, 161–169, 2007b. a
Fokker, E. and Ruigrok, E.: Quality parameters for passive image interferometry
tested at the Groningen network, Geophys. J. Int., 218,
1367–1378, 2019. a
Havskov, J. and Alguacil, G.: Instrumentation in earthquake seismology, Vol.
358, Springer, 313 pp., 2004. a
Hobiger, M., Bard, P.-Y., Cornou, C., and Le Bihan, N.: Single station
determination of Rayleigh wave ellipticity by using the random decrement
technique (RayDec), Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009GL038863, 2009. a
KNMI: Netherlands Seismic and Acoustic Network, Royal Netherlands
Meteorological Institute (KNMI), Other/Seismic Network,
https://doi.org/10.21944/e970fd34-23b9-3411-b366-e4f72877d2c5, 1993. a
Konno, K. and Ohmachi, T.: Ground-motion characteristics estimated from
spectral ratio between horizontal and vertical components of microtremor,
B. Seismol. Soc. Am., 88, 228–241, 1998. a
Kruiver, P. P., van Dedem, E., Romijn, R., de Lange, G., Korff, M., Stafleu,
J., Gunnink, J. L., Rodriguez-Marek, A., Bommer, J. J., van Elk, J., et al.:
An integrated shear-wave velocity model for the Groningen gas field, the
Netherlands, B. Earthq. Eng., 1–26, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-017-0105-y, 2017. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h
Lachetl, C. and Bard, P.-Y.: Numerical and theoretical investigations on the
possibilities and limitations of Nakamura's technique, J. Phys. Earth, 42, 377–397, 1994. a
Lermo, J. and Chavez-Garcia, F. J.: Site effect evaluation using spectral
ratios with only one station, B. Seismol. Soc. Am., 83, 1574–1594, 1993. a
Lontsi, A. M., Sánchez-Sesma, F. J., Molina-Villegas, J. C., Ohrnberger,
M., and Krüger, F.: Full microtremor H/V (z, f) inversion for shallow
subsurface characterization, Geophys. J. Int., 202,
298–312, 2015. a
Malischewsky, P. G., Lomnitz, C., Wuttke, F., and Saragoni, R.: Prograde
Rayleigh-wave motion in the valley of Mexico, Geofísica
Internacional, 45, 149–162, 2006. a
Maranò, S., Hobiger, M., and Fäh, D.: Retrieval of Rayleigh wave
ellipticity from ambient vibration recordings, Geophys. J. Int., 209, 334–352, 2017. a
Meijles, E.: De ondergrond van Groningen: een geologische geschiedenis, NAM, 24 pp.,
2015. a
Mordret, A., Courbis, R., Brenguier, F., Chmiel, M., Garambois, S., Mao, S.,
Boué, P., Campman, X., Lecocq, T., Van der Veen, W., et al.: Noise-based
ballistic wave passive seismic monitoring–Part 2: surface waves,
Geophys. J. Int., 221, 692–705, 2020. a
Nishitsuji, Y., Ruigrok, E., Gomez, M., and Draganov, D.: Global-phase H/V
spectral ratio for delineating the basin in the Malargue Region,
Argentina, Seismol. Res. Lett., 85, 1004–1011, 2014. a
Spica, Z., Perton, M., Nakata, N., Liu, X., and Beroza, G.: Site
Characterization at Groningen Gas Field Area Through Joint Surface-Borehole
H/V Analysis, Geophys. J. Int., 212, 412–421, 2018. a
Spica, Z., Nakata, N., Liu, X., Campman, X., Tang, Z., and Beroza, G.: The
ambient seismic field at Groningen gas field: An overview from the
surface to reservoir depth, Seismol. Res. Lett., 89, 1450–1466, https://doi.org/10.1785/0220170256. 2018a. a, b, c
Spica, Z., Perton, M., Nakata, N., Liu, X., and Beroza, G.: Shallow VS
imaging of the Groningen area from joint inversion of multimode surface
waves and H/V spectral ratios, Seismol. Res. Lett., 89, 1720–1729, https://doi.org/10.1785/0220180060, 2018b. a, b
Thabet, M.: Site-Specific Relationships between Bedrock Depth and HVSR
Fundamental Resonance Frequency Using KiK-NET Data from Japan, Pure
Appl. Geophys., 176, 4809–4831, 2019. a
Tsai, N. and Housner, G.: Calculation of surface motions of a layered
half-space, B. Seismol. Soc. Am., 60, 1625–1651,
1970. a
Vos, P.: Origin of the Dutch coastal landscape: long-term landscape evolution
of the Netherlands during the Holocene, described and visualized in
national, regional and local palaeogeographical map series, Barkhuis, 369 pp., 2015. a
Wathelet, M., Jongmans, D., Ohrnberger, M., and Bonnefoy-Claudet, S.: Array
performances for ambient vibrations on a shallow structure and consequences
over Vs inversion, J. Seismol., 12, 1–19, 2008. a
Short summary
Knowledge of subsurface velocities is key to understand how earthquake waves travel through the Earth. We present a method to construct velocity profiles for the upper sediment layer on top of the Groningen field, the Netherlands. Here, the soft-sediment layer causes resonance of seismic waves, and this resonance is used to compute velocities from. Recordings from large earthquakes and the background noise signals are used to derive reliable velocities for the deep sedimentary layer.
Knowledge of subsurface velocities is key to understand how earthquake waves travel through the...