Analysis of strong scattering at the micro-scale

Exploiting the fine structure of strongly scattered surface waves could provide a wealth of new information in seismology, ultrasonics, acoustics and other fields that study wave propagation in highly heterogeneous media. Toward this end, we have made laboratory measurements of ultrasonic waves propagating in disordered media. Spectral-element simulations of these models provide us with a powerful tool for understanding the complex dynamics of diffraction and scattering; issues that need to be addressed in seismic hazard studies in global seismology and static corrections for exploration geophysics. This paper focuses on small-scale scattering, such as diffracted body waves, which are weak precursors to the dominant surface waves; these events may be analogous to diffractions from the Earth’s rough core-mantle boundary.