A new coupled spectral element and modal solution method for global seismology: A first application to the scattering induced by a plume-like anomaly

Y. Capdeville (1, 2) , C. Larmat (1) , J.-P. Vilotte (1) , J.-P. Montagner (1)

1 IPGP - Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
2 Seismological Laboratory [Berkeley]

The possibilities of a new numerical simulation method based on the coupling of the Spectral Element Method (SEM) with a modal solution method are illustrated by experiments focusing on the scattering induced by a localized plume-like inclusion in a modified PREM. The plume is represented by a vertical cylindrical inclusion extending from the surface to the 660 km discontinuity. We present seismograms computed down to 50 s and assess the limits of a first order mode perturbation (Born approximation) method against the new numerical simulation.

Keywords: Seismology: Theory and modeling; Mathematical Geophysics: Inverse theory

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]; Earth Sciences; Geophysics [physics.geo-ph]

Y. Capdeville, C. Larmat, J.-P. Vilotte, J.-P. Montagner. A new coupled spectral element and modal solution method for global seismology: A first application to the scattering induced by a plume-like anomaly. Geophysical Research Letters, 2002, 29 (9), pp.32. ⟨10.1029/2001GL013747⟩. ⟨insu-01399923⟩