Seismic scattering and reverberation, Kaingaroa plateau, Taupo volcanic zone, New Zealand

Seismic data recorded by a two-dimensional geophone array on the Kaingaroa plateau of Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand, are analysed to examine the nature of seismic coda in the region. Analysis of the array data using semblance techniques can identify arrivals with distinct propagation direction and apparent velocity and, in particular, scattered waves associated with heterogeneity in the near-surface layers. The analysis shows source-related reverberation, which is believed to be associated with the presence of low-velocity layers of breccia and tuffs beneath the experimental site. Synthetic seismograms calculated using a porous-elastic formulation of the wave-equation show that such scattered energy may play a large part in the degradation of seismic reflection data collected in the region.