Three-dimensional numerical simulation of ambient seismic noise for arbitrary surface source distributions: application to the study of horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios and their variability
Abstract
We present a comprehensive numerical investigation of the sensitivity of horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio ( H/V ) measurements of ambient seismic noise to the spatial distribution of noise sources and to strong lateral structural contrasts. Our approach relies on the computation of realistic 3-D viscoelastic Green's functions between a dense set of potential surface sources and a few surface receivers, allowing the synthesis of ambient noise wavefields corresponding to arbitrary spatio-temporal source distributions. The study focuses on a simplified 3-D representation of the Mygdonian Basin (northern Greece), where significant temporal variations of H/V amplitude, polarization and peak frequency have been observed at a site located near a blind fault. Comparisons between the synthetic H/V and the predictions of the elastic Diffuse Field Theory (DFT) show good agreement under isotropic source conditions, confirming the usefulness of DFT as a reference framework in diffuse or quasi-diffuse regimes. However, attenuation, lateral heterogeneities and uneven source distributions lead to substantial deviations from DFT predictions. We find that source-related effects can dominate both amplitude and polarization patterns, sometimes masking the structural signature of the fault. Nevertheless, the simulations reveal robust spatial trends of H/V polarization relative to the fault geometry, suggesting that polarization mapping may help identify lateral heterogeneities when combined with dense, long-duration measurements. Our framework provides a physically consistent way to test the limits of the diffuse field assumption and to explore the applicability of ambient noise-based observables in complex geological environments
Related
- Spatial variability of soil texture fractal dimension and its application in sponge city construction
- Three-Dimensional Simulation of Lake Ontario North-Shore Hydrodynamics and Contaminant Transport
- Three-Dimensional Simulation of Flood Propagation at Syabrubesi, Nepal
- A Likelihood‐Free Framework for Seismic Forecasting Models: Application to Incomplete ETAS Model via Simulation‐Based Inference
- A One-Dimensional Framework for Three-Phase Flow in Immiscible and Near-Miscible CO2 Injection: Application to Enhanced Oil Recovery and CO2 Storage
BibTeX
@article{gregor2026threedimensional,
title = {{Three-dimensional numerical simulation of ambient seismic noise for arbitrary surface source distributions: application to the study of horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios and their variability}},
author = {David Gregor and Emmanuel Chaljub and Marc Wathelet and Fabrice Hollender and Vincent Perron and Florent de Martin},
journal = {Geophysical Journal International},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1093/gji/ggag348},
url = {https://brgm.hal.science/hal-05761116v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Three-dimensional numerical simulation of ambient seismic noise for arbitrary surface source distributions: application to the study of horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios and their variability
AU - David Gregor
AU - Emmanuel Chaljub
AU - Marc Wathelet
AU - Fabrice Hollender
AU - Vincent Perron
AU - Florent de Martin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/23
JO - Geophysical Journal International
DO - 10.1093/gji/ggag348
UR - https://brgm.hal.science/hal-05761116v1
AB - We present a comprehensive numerical investigation of the sensitivity of horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio ( H/V ) measurements of ambient seismic noise to the spatial distribution of noise sources and to strong lateral structural contrasts. Our approach relies on the computation of realistic 3-D viscoelastic Green's functions between a dense set of potential surface sources and a few surface receivers, allowing the synthesis of ambient noise wavefields corresponding to arbitrary spatio-temporal source distributions. The study focuses on a simplified 3-D representation of the Mygdonian Basin (northern Greece), where significant temporal variations of H/V amplitude, polarization and peak frequency have been observed at a site located near a blind fault. Comparisons between the synthetic H/V and the predictions of the elastic Diffuse Field Theory (DFT) show good agreement under isotropic source conditions, confirming the usefulness of DFT as a reference framework in diffuse or quasi-diffuse regimes. However, attenuation, lateral heterogeneities and uneven source distributions lead to substantial deviations from DFT predictions. We find that source-related effects can dominate both amplitude and polarization patterns, sometimes masking the structural signature of the fault. Nevertheless, the simulations reveal robust spatial trends of H/V polarization relative to the fault geometry, suggesting that polarization mapping may help identify lateral heterogeneities when combined with dense, long-duration measurements. Our framework provides a physically consistent way to test the limits of the diffuse field assumption and to explore the applicability of ambient noise-based observables in complex geological environments
SN - 0956-540X
SN - 1365-246X
ER -