A Study of the Method of Passive Remote Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves as Applied to the Determination of the Velocity Structure of Near-Surface Soils

This paper investigated the influence of observation system geometry on the accuracy of surface wave dispersion curve determination using the passive remote multichannel surface wave analysis (PRMASW) method. The study examined the impacts of different seismic receiver configurations, including linear and area observation systems, on the quality of dispersion imaging using synthetic data. Modeling results demonstrate that two-dimensional observation systems, such as random distribution or circular configurations, provide more accurate dispersion curve definition compared to linear systems, especially in the low-frequency region. This improved accuracy is attributed to increased spatial sampling and the ability to capture surface waves propagating in multiple directions. The paper also presents the methodology of a field experiment conducted at a seismic test site in the Novosibirsk region utilizing moving cars as controlled passive sources. The acquired data corroborate the results of the synthetic studies and demonstrate the practical applicability of the PRMASW method in field settings.