• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.93-98
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• 2008

Abstract: Surface topography has a significant influence on seismic wave propagation in a reflection seismic exploration. Effects of surface topography on two-dimensional elastic wave propagation are investigated through modeling using a weighted-averaging (WA) finite-element method (FEM), which is computationally more efficient than conventional FEM. Effects of air layer on wave propagation are also investigated using flat surface models with and without air. To validate our scheme in modeling including topography, we compare WA FEM results for irregular topographic models against those derived from conventional FEM using one set of rectangular elements. For the irregular surface topography models, elastic wave propagation is simulated to show that breaks in slope act as a new source for diffracted waves, and that Rayleigh waves are more seriously distorted by surface topography than P-waves.