Benefits of using the high-resolution linear radon transform ( HRLRT ) with the multi-channel analysis of surface waves ( MASW ) method

We evaluate the benefits of the use of the high-resolution linear radon transform (HRLRT) with the multi-channel analysis of surface waves (MASW) seismic method. Loveand Rayleigh-wave synthetic and real-world seismic data from both active and passive sources were use to compare dispersion-curve imaging and estimations (an essential MASW component) using both conventional and HRLRT approaches. Results show that benefits from using the HRLRT can include better separation between surface-wave modes, the ability to observe dispersion-curve trends in extended frequency ranges, improved lateral resolution from the ability to use shorter receiver spreads, improved vertical resolution (by using more layers, e.g., 20) from multi-mode inversion, wider passive-data frequency-range and higher-resolution dispersion imaging, reduced spatial aliasing noise, etc.. In such a manner the HRLRT can be a valuable tools in the application of the MASW method on various seismic data sets.