Wave propagation

Wavefield Complexity and Source-Parameter Recovery

Can multiple reflections bias estimates of critical slip distance?

This is an exploratory question rather than a completed research project. Near-fault waveforms contain both source information and propagation effects: reflections and scattering caused by fault-zone heterogeneity, impedance contrasts, the free surface, or model boundaries may overlap with direct arrivals and alter the waveform features used to infer critical slip distance, D꜀. I am interested in examining when this wavefield complexity could introduce uncertainty or bias into source-parameter estimates, but the current work does not yet include sufficient simulations or observations to support a quantitative conclusion.