Lunar active seismic profiler for investigating shallow substrates of the Moon and other extraterrestrial environments

To investigate the structures and properties of shallow material in extraterrestrial environments, we have developed a lunar active seismic profiler (LASP), which integrates active seismic sources and receivers in a short (-1 m) array that can be deployed on a rover. The small active source generates a chirp waveform that sweeps over a wide frequency range (20-250 Hz). The receivers are coupled to the ground by their own weight, but nevertheless deliver acceptable performance. We improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the seismic signal by stacking waveforms, enabling a minimal source to support the exploration of geological substrates. By processing shot gather of the LASP data, we calculated a dispersion curve of surface waves and obtained an accurate S-wave velocity profile from surface to 1 m depth. The results suggest that regions with even small amounts of subsurface ice (-0.5 wt%) can be identified in LASP results by their anomalously high S-wave velocity. Field experiments demonstrate that the LASP can support estimates of 3D S-wave velocity distributions and the identification of a buried geological boundary. The LASP also detected different degrees of compaction at the experimental site. If two rovers carry these profilers, or if a single rover combines one with a separately deployed receiver or active seismic source, seismic refraction and seismic reflection analyses can be conducted simultaneously in addition to surface wave analyses. These seismic surveys for longer-offset data achieve the exploration of deeper substrates in extraterrestrial settings such as the Moon, Mars, and other solid bodies.

Automated summary

We have developed a lunar active seismic profiler (LASP) that integrates active seismic sources and receivers on a rover. By processing LASP data, we obtained accurate S-wave velocity profiles and were able to identify subsurface ice and geological boundaries. Field experiments demonstrated that LASP can support 3D velocity distribution estimates and the exploration of deeper substrates.