Seismogram Synthesis of Multi-Scale Layered Transversely Isotropic Saturated Half-Space Using a Revised Stiffness Matrix Method

Seismogram synthesis for a multi-scale transversely isotropic (TI) saturated layered half-space subjected to seismic dislocation source is studied by a revised stiffness matrix method in this paper. First, based on Biot’s theory of wave propagation in a fluid-saturated porous solid, the governing equations of motion in TI saturated medium are transformed by Fourier–Hankel integral transform. Next, the contribution of the seismic dislocation source can be imposed in the form of body forces. Then, the global stiffness matrix with well-conditioned properties is obtained by assembling each layer’s exact stiffness matrix, which can avoid accumulating errors in the matrix transmission. By extracting the divergence exponent terms of the stiffness matrix concerning thickness and wavenumber, the bottleneck of simulating the wave propagation process in multi-scale half-space, where the layer thickness and velocity vary sharply from the near-surface region to the crustal zone, could be overcome, and a fast and accurate seismogram synthesis could be achieved. The accuracy of the proposed method is verified by comparing the calculated results with those of published literature. Finally, the method is applied to the multi-scale system with realistic superficial fine layers. Numerical examples regarding thickness, TI properties and porosity are presented to illustrate the effects of superficial layers on ground motion. The numerical results show that the surface properties affect the wave propagation and energy distribution, leading to variable impacts on the surface response in different directions; this phenomenon is more pronounced in the case of high-frequency ground motions.