On the rotation of teleseismic seismograms based on the receiver function technique

Area of Science:

• Geophysics
• Seismology
• Earth Sciences

Background:

• The receiver function (RF) technique is crucial for studying Earth's crust and upper mantle using seismic data.
• Accurate determination of seismic event back azimuth and polarization is essential for reliable RF analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a modified automatic procedure for calculating back azimuth and polarization angles from seismic receiver functions.
• To assess the robustness of the new procedure against seismic station location and potential instrument misorientation.

Main Methods:

• A modified automatic procedure was developed to determine back azimuth and polarization angles from teleseismic event seismograms.
• The method was tested using data from six seismic stations in Poland (3 permanent, 3 temporary).
• Rayleigh wave polarization analysis and synthetic modeling of RFs for 2.5D crustal models were employed.

Main Results:

• The proposed method accurately determines back azimuth and polarization angles for teleseismic events.
• The procedure demonstrated robustness against incorrect seismometer orientation, confirmed by Rayleigh wave analysis.
• Synthetic modeling confirmed the method's effectiveness in complex geological settings with dipping layers up to 60 km depth.

Conclusions:

• The modified automatic procedure offers a reliable and robust approach for seismic receiver function analysis.
• This technique improves the investigation of crustal and upper mantle structures, even in geologically complex regions.
• The method's insensitivity to orientation errors enhances its applicability in real-world seismic network operations.