Joint Inversion of Seismic Body and Surface Wave Data

Seismic imaging methods such as reflection profiling, wide-angle imaging, surface wave tomography, and teleseismic tomography have played a crucial role in advancing our understanding of the architecture and physical properties of the lithosphere. However, a key challenge that remains is to unravel the structural relationship between the lower crust and adjacent lithospheric mantle; this is essential if we are to properly understand fundamental Earth processes such as continental growth, subduction, rifting, volcanism, delamination and mineralisation. Traditional imaging methods have struggled to address this issue due to the need to account for the Moho and the lack of datasets which can resolve both crustal and upper mantle structure. While several recent advances, including the joint inversion of multiple datasets and ambient noise imaging, have helped to address these challenges, considerable work is still required if we are to achieve a truly integrated view of the lithosphere.

The aim of this Project is to develop and apply methods for the joint inversion of body and surface wave data in order to image structure throughout the full thickness of the lithosphere, thereby achieving a greater understanding of the processes which shape the crust-upper mantle system. Full waveform inversion will be the primary tool used in this project, with an emphasis on integrating a range of different datasets, including local earthquake, teleseismic, ambient noise, and where possible active sources.