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Q for P Waves in the Sediments of the Virginia Coastal Plain

Department of Geosciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 mcc{at}vt.edu jabeale{at}vt.edu

R. D. Catchings

U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, MS 977, Menlo Park, California 94025 catching{at}usgs.gov

The seismic quality factor Q for P waves in Atlantic Coastal Plain sediments is estimated using data from the 2004 U.S. Geological Survey seismic survey in eastern Virginia. The estimates are based on spectral ratios derived from reflections and sediment-guided P waves in Late Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments within the annular trough of the Late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact structure. The estimates of Q for the frequency range of 10–150 Hz are from 75 to 100, with the best estimate of 80 based on multichannel stacking of spectral ratios from receivers in the offset range of 200–2000 m. This result is approximately a factor of 2 larger than the results previously reported for the Charleston, South Carolina, area, and it is approximately one-half of that recently reported for the Mississippi Embayment.