Seismic wavefield polarization – Part II: Definition of a parameter system in three-dimensional (3D) space, example case review using LSBB seismic station data.

Summary A full polarization parameter system in 3D space is presented to characterize the state of polarization of a seismic wavefield and to parametrize any type of elliptical polarized seismic wave including extreme linear and circular polarizations. This parameter system does not require the a-priori knowledge of the orientation of the polarization plane and provides access to all parameters required in most polarization studies. Two groups of angular and vectorial parameters are defined, which can be easily related to one another. The knowledge of particle motion polarization opens the field of applications for 3-component seismic records contributing to improvements in phase identification. An example of a time-frequency visualization of the polarization parameters on a teleseimic earthquake recorded at a seismic station of LSBB is presented.