Dynamic characteristics of an active coastal spreading area using ambient noise measurements - Anchor Bay, Malta

Abstract

Anchor Bay and surrounding regions are located on the northwest coast of the island of Malta, Central Mediterranean. The area is characterized by a coastal cliff environment having an outcropping layer of hard coralline limestone (UCL) resting on a thick (up to 50 m) layer of clays and marls (Blue Clay, BC). This configuration gives rise to coastal instability effects, in particular lateral spreading phenomena and rock falls. Previous and ongoing studies have identified both lateral spreading rates and vertical motions of several millimetres per year. The area is an interesting natural laboratory as coastal detachment processes in a number of different stages can be identified and are easily accessible. We investigate the site dynamic characteristics of this study area by recording ambient noise time-series at more than 30 points, over an area of 0.07 km2, using a portable three-component seismograph. The time-series are processed to give both horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio graphs (H/V) as well as frequency-dependent polarisation analysis. The H/V graphs illustrate and quantify aspects of site resonance effects due both to underlying geology as well as to mechanical resonance of partly or wholly detached blocks. The polarization diagrams indicate the degree of linearity and predominant directions of vibrational effects. H/V curves closer to the cliff edge show complex responses at higher frequencies, characteristic of the dynamic behaviour of individual detached blocks. Particle motion associated with the higher frequencies shows strongly directional polarization and a high degree of linearity at well-defined frequencies, indicative of normal-mode vibration. The stable plateau areas, on the other hand, show simple, single-peak H/V curves representative of the underlying stratification and no predominant polarization direction. These results, which will be compared with those from other experiments in the area, have important implications for the understanding of ongoing processes in geologically active and unstable coastal environments.