• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.73-85
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• 2006

Array observations of the vertical component of microtremors are frequently conducted to estimate a subsurface layered-earth structure on the assumption that microtremors consist predominantly of the fundamental mode Rayleigh waves. As a useful tool in the data collection, processing and analysis, the spatial autocorrelation (SPAC) method is widely used, which in practice requires a circle array consisting of M circumferential stations and one centre station (called "M-station circle array", where M is the number of stations). The present paper considers the minimum number of stations required for a circle array for efficient data collection in terms of analytical efficacy and field effort. This study first rearranges the theoretical background of the SPAC algorithm, in which the SPAC coefficient for a circle array with M infinite is solely expressed as the Bessel function, $J_0(rk)$ (r is the radius and k the wavenumber). Secondly, the SPAC coefficient including error terms independent of the microtremor energy field for an M-station circle array is analytically derived within a constraint for the wave direction across the array, and is numerically evaluated in respect of these error terms. The main results of the evaluation are: 1) that the 3-station circle array when compared with other 4-, 5-, and 9-station arrays is the most efficient and favourable for observation of microtremors if the SPAC coefficients are used up to a frequency at which the coefficient takes the first minimum value, and 2) that the Nyquist wavenumber is the most influential factor that determines the upper limit of the frequency range up to which the valid SPAC coefficient can be estimated.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.121-131
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• 2009

In recent years, microtremor array observations have been used for estimation of shear-wave velocity structures. One of the methods is the conventional spatial autocorrelation (SPAC) method, which requires simultaneous recording at least with three or four sensors. Modified SPAC methods such as 2sSPAC, and linear array methods, allow estimating shear-wave structures by using only two sensors, but suffer from instability of the spatial autocorrelation coefficient for frequency ranges higher than 1.0 Hz. Based on microtremor measurements from four different size triangular arrays and four same-size triangular and linear arrays, we have demonstrated the stability of SPAC coefficient for the frequency range from 2 to 4 or 5 Hz. The phase velocities, obtained by fitting the SPAC coefficients to the Bessel function, are also consistent up to the frequency 5 Hz. All data were processed by the SPAC method, with the exception of the spatial averaging for the linear array cases. The arrays were deployed sequentially at different times, near a site having existing Parallel Seismic (PS) borehole logging data. We also used the imaginary part of the SPAC coefficients as a data-quality indicator. Based on perturbations of the autocorrelation spectrum (and in some cases on visual examination of the record waveforms) we divided data into so-called 'reliable' and 'unreliable' categories. We then calculated the imaginary part of the SPAC spectrum for 'reliable', 'unreliable', and complete (i.e. 'reliable' and 'unreliable' datasets combined) datasets for each array, and compared the results. In the case of insufficient azimuthal distribution of the stations (the linear array) the imaginary curve shows some instability and can therefore be regarded as an indicator of insufficient spatial averaging. However, in the case of low coherency of the wavefield the imaginary curve does not show any significant instability.