Attenuation of Seismic Waves by Grain Boundary Relaxation

Abstract

Experimental observations of the attenuation of elastic waves in polycrystalline ceramics and rocks reveal an attenuation mechanism, called grain boundary relaxation, which is likely to be predominant cause of seismic attenuation in the earth's mantle. For this mechanism, the internal friction (the reciprocal of the "intrinsic Q" of the material) depends strongly upon frequency and is in good agreement with Walsh's theory of attenuation (J. Geophys. Res., 74, 4333, 1969) in partially melted rock. When Walsh's theory is extended to provide a model of the anelasticity of the earth, using the experimental values of physical parameters reported here, the results are in excellent agreement with seismic observations.