A new significance on the vertical component ratio of the power spectra between two sites in the application of array methods

Array methods like spatial auto-correlation (SPAC) method and the centerless circular array (CCA) method have provided a convenient means of inferring the phase velocity of surface waves. However, these methods are under the assumption of horizontally layered medium (lateral homogeneity) while the ground structure is actually likely to be inclined. Hence, it is expected to obtain more detailed information of ground structure such as inclination by making better use of the records. In recent years, the seismic interferometry theory has also been widely used to estimate ground structure. According to seismic interferometry theory, the cross correlation of motion between two sites is proportional to the imaginary part of the Green’s function (IOG) between the two sites in diffuse wavefield. In this study, we can obtain the ratio of IOG between two sites by taking the ratio of power spectra between the same two sites. We propose this ratio as an indicator of the lateral heterogeneity between two sites. Through numerical simulation and a field test, we demonstrate that the significance of ratio of power spectra can be interpreted from the sight of ratio of IOG successfully.