High-frequency Po/So guided waves in the oceanic lithosphere: I-long-distance propagation

In many parts of the ocean high-frequency seismic energy is carried to very great distances from the source. The onsets of the P and S energy travel with speeds characteristic of the mantle lithosphere. The complex and elongated waveforms of such Po and So waves and their efficient transport of high frequencies (>10 Hz) have proved difficult to explain in full. Much of the character can be captured with stratified models, provided a full allowance is made for reverberations in the ocean and the basal sediments. The nature of the observations implies a strong scattering environment. By analysing the nature of the long-distance propagation we are able to identify the critical role played by shallow reverberations in the water and sediments, and the way that these link with propagation in a heterogeneous mantle. 2-D finite difference modelling to 10 Hz for ranges over 1000 km demonstrates the way in which heterogeneity shapes the wavefield, and the way in which the properties of the lithosphere and asthenosphere control the nature of the propagation processes. The nature of the Po and So phases are consistent with pervasive heterogeneity in the oceanic lithosphere with a horizontal correlation length (~10 km) much larger than the vertical correlation length (~0.5 km).