Abstract:
Seismological methods are a core approach for probing the Earth's deep interior and have played an important role in understanding the Earth's internal structure and dynamic processes, as well as in deciphering the distribution of mineral resources and the causes of geological hazards. Teleseismic P-wave coda autocorrelation is an emerging seismological method that has been gradually developed and refined over the past decade or so. This paper systematically reviews the key techniques associated with this method, including spectral whitening autocorrelation, velocity analysis, dip correction, and waveform inversion, and specifically introduces the application progress of this method in deep probing and shallow structure imaging. In terms of crust–mantle structure detection, this method can yield Moho depth and crustal
VP/
VS ratio estimates that are comparable to those obtained from receiver functions. Regarding the application of short-period dense arrays, by using observation records spanning more than two weeks, this method can extract clear shallow reflections from the ice–rock interface or the base of sedimentary basins, as well as deep reflections from intra-crustal interfaces and the Moho. Preliminary test results indicate that, under the influence of crustal anisotropy, the Pmp reflection in the vertical-component autocorrelation waveform exhibits travel-time variations with a period of π, which provides a theoretical basis for estimating crustal anisotropy using this method. In addition, attention should be paid to the application of seismic migration and waveform inversion techniques within this framework to improve the imaging quality of intra-crustal structures beneath dense arrays. Because this method and receiver functions share similar sensitivities to the Moho interface and crustal anisotropy, their joint application will first be manifested in the joint constraints on Moho depth, dip parameters, and crustal anisotropy.