Seismic Sources in Stress-Induced Anisotropic Media

Rocks in the upper mantle are extensively subjected to initial stress. The rock exhibits elastic anisotropy under the deviatoric stress, which affects the seismic response of underground structures. This paper aims to study the effect of stress-induced anisotropy on the seismic source. The seismic moment tensor generated by a shear faulting in a homogeneous isotropic medium with initial stress is derived by using the motion description in the intermediate configuration, the constitutive relation of third-order elasticity, and the boundary condition considering the effect of initial stress. Then the seismic moment tensor is decomposed to investigate seismic source characters quantitatively. Our results show that shear faulting in a stress-induced anisotropic medium can produce significant non-double-couple (non-DC) mechanisms, including compensated linear vector dipole (CLVD) and isotropic (ISO) components. ISO and CLVD components vary linearly with the initial shear stress on faults. In addition, stress-induced anisotropy causes the double-couple (DC) to deviate from the plane defined by the fault normal and slip direction. The initial stress not only affects the source intensity but also affects the propagation of seismic waves. The radiation patterns of longitudinal waves have non-uniform lobes, which shows the characteristic of anisotropy. Stress-induced anisotropic parameters are smaller than intrinsic anisotropy at high-stress levels and a nearly linear function of the increased initial stress. These results underscore the importance of considering stress-induced anisotropy in the inversion of focal mechanisms and provide a new perspective for monitoring underground stress.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the effect of stress-induced anisotropy on seismic source. The results show that shear faulting in a stress-induced anisotropic medium can produce non-double-couple mechanisms and the initial stress not only affects the source intensity, but also the propagation of seismic waves. These findings highlight the importance of considering stress-induced anisotropy in the inversion of focal mechanisms and underground stress monitoring.