A New Approach to Constrain Crustal Vp/Vs From Rayleigh Wave Phase Velocity and Local Amplification: Application to the Western US

Abstract The ratio of compressional‐ and shear‐wave velocities, Vp/Vs, in the continental crust is a useful proxy for silica abundance and partial melt. However, constraining crustal Vp/Vs remains challenging. Rayleigh wave site amplification is a valuable complement to phase velocity and can constr...

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Main Authors: Yiran Huang, Colleen A. Dalton, Anant Hariharan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-03-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL111980
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author Yiran Huang
Colleen A. Dalton
Anant Hariharan
author_facet Yiran Huang
Colleen A. Dalton
Anant Hariharan
author_sort Yiran Huang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The ratio of compressional‐ and shear‐wave velocities, Vp/Vs, in the continental crust is a useful proxy for silica abundance and partial melt. However, constraining crustal Vp/Vs remains challenging. Rayleigh wave site amplification is a valuable complement to phase velocity and can constrain crustal Vp. We develop a two‐step approach to jointly invert phase velocity and amplification for Vp/Vs in the crust and Vsv in the crust and uppermost mantle. We apply this joint inversion to construct new crustal Vp/Vs models for the western US from three different amplification data sets. The models contain Vp/Vs values in the range 1.6–1.85 and variations that are consistent between the three models and with previous results, including a westward increase of Vp/Vs across the Central Basin and Range. Crustal Vp/Vs across three regions of the Basin and Range are explored to gain insight into crustal composition and enhance understanding of crustal evolution.
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spelling doaj-art-ac7bd3abf176453fa4cab648bbcc17942025-08-20T02:11:21ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-03-01526n/an/a10.1029/2024GL111980A New Approach to Constrain Crustal Vp/Vs From Rayleigh Wave Phase Velocity and Local Amplification: Application to the Western USYiran Huang0Colleen A. Dalton1Anant Hariharan2Department of Earth Environmental and Planetary Sciences Brown University Providence RI USADepartment of Earth Environmental and Planetary Sciences Brown University Providence RI USADepartment of Earth Science University of California—Santa Barbara Santa Barbara CA USAAbstract The ratio of compressional‐ and shear‐wave velocities, Vp/Vs, in the continental crust is a useful proxy for silica abundance and partial melt. However, constraining crustal Vp/Vs remains challenging. Rayleigh wave site amplification is a valuable complement to phase velocity and can constrain crustal Vp. We develop a two‐step approach to jointly invert phase velocity and amplification for Vp/Vs in the crust and Vsv in the crust and uppermost mantle. We apply this joint inversion to construct new crustal Vp/Vs models for the western US from three different amplification data sets. The models contain Vp/Vs values in the range 1.6–1.85 and variations that are consistent between the three models and with previous results, including a westward increase of Vp/Vs across the Central Basin and Range. Crustal Vp/Vs across three regions of the Basin and Range are explored to gain insight into crustal composition and enhance understanding of crustal evolution.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL111980
spellingShingle Yiran Huang
Colleen A. Dalton
Anant Hariharan
A New Approach to Constrain Crustal Vp/Vs From Rayleigh Wave Phase Velocity and Local Amplification: Application to the Western US
Geophysical Research Letters
title A New Approach to Constrain Crustal Vp/Vs From Rayleigh Wave Phase Velocity and Local Amplification: Application to the Western US
title_full A New Approach to Constrain Crustal Vp/Vs From Rayleigh Wave Phase Velocity and Local Amplification: Application to the Western US
title_fullStr A New Approach to Constrain Crustal Vp/Vs From Rayleigh Wave Phase Velocity and Local Amplification: Application to the Western US
title_full_unstemmed A New Approach to Constrain Crustal Vp/Vs From Rayleigh Wave Phase Velocity and Local Amplification: Application to the Western US
title_short A New Approach to Constrain Crustal Vp/Vs From Rayleigh Wave Phase Velocity and Local Amplification: Application to the Western US
title_sort new approach to constrain crustal vp vs from rayleigh wave phase velocity and local amplification application to the western us
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL111980
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