Observations of Rayleigh-wave phase velocity and coseismic deformation using an optical fiber, interferometric vertical strainmeter at the SAFOD borehole, California

We present observations from a vertical, optical fiber interferometric strainmeter in the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth borehole near Parkfield, California. The sensor detects both teleseismic earthquakes and local events, along with coseismic strain steps consistent with theoretical dislocation models. For teleseismic events, we investigate the possibility of determining local Rayleigh-wave phase velocities beneath the borehole by comparing the ratio of vertical ground acceleration from a nearby seismometer to vertical strain. While similar studies have used horizontal components and rotations, this is the first such attempt utilizing vertical measurements. We show that at periods from around 16-40 seconds, we can recover general dispersion characteristics that are within a few percent of models of realistic local structure.