Computational Modeling of Wave Propagation in a Geophysical Domain

J. McKenna[1], M. McKenna[1], S. Yushanov[2], J. Crompton[2], and K. Koppenhoefer[2]
[1]U.S. Army Engineering Research and Development Center
[2]ACES of Columbus, LLC, Columbus, OH, USA
Published in 2008

The propagation of shear (S) and compression (P) waves within the earth allows geologists to track seismic events and to identify subterranean structure. This work shows the strong effect of including the variation of wave speed through the top thirty meters of the earth. By including this variation in material properties, the wave arrival time and frequency content agree with experimental data.

This work uses the Structural Mechanics Module available in COMSOL Multiphysics to develop computational models for a range of problems. The results presented demonstrate the capabilities of COMSOL Multiphysics to solve wave propagation problems in finite geophysical domains.