Reconstruction of a Source from Observational Data

A procedure is described for determining the strength, position, and startup time of a surface force source acting on an elastic half-space from recorded data on the vertical displacements (seismograms) of a linear oscillator (seismograph). The algorithm is based on a previously published analytical solution of the Lamb problem. Special attention is given to the role of the Rayleigh wavefront as a generator of displacements much larger than in the approach of P waves and SV waves to the seismograph, revealing the Rayleigh wave as the primary indicator of a source's space–time position.