rf: Receiver function calculation in seismology
Tom Eulenfeld
Abstract
The receiver function method is a popular seismological technique to investigate velocity discontinuities in the crust and upper mantle, like the crust-mantle boundary (the Moho). The basic concept behind the method is that a part of the incident P-waves from a teleseismic event (e.g., a distant earthquake) gets converted to S-waves at significant discontinuities underneath a seismometer (receiver). The travel time difference between the first arriving P-wave and the converted S-wave constrains the depth of the discontinuity and the velocity ratio of P-and S-waves of the overlaying structure. To remove source side and propagation effects, receiver function calculation often involves a deconvolution of different components of the rotated seismogram.