Brief communication: On the potential of seismic polarity reversal to identify a thin low-velocity layer above a high-velocity layer in ice-rich rock glaciers

Abstract

Seismic refraction tomography is a commonly used technique to characterise rock glaciers, as the boundary between unfrozen and ice-bearing layers represents a strong impedance contrast. In several rock glaciers, we observed a reversed polarity of the waves refracted by an extended ice-bearing layer compared to direct-wave arrivals. This phase change may be related to the presence of a thin low-velocity layer (LVL), such as fine- to coarse-grained sediments, above a thicker ice-rich layer. Our results are confirmed by the modelling and analysis of synthetic seismograms to demonstrate that the presence of a low-velocity layer can produce a polarity reversal on the seismic gather.