Comparative spectra of microseisms and swell

Abstract Spectra of seismic and ocean wave recordings near San Diego, California, show closely related features. The wave spectra consist of a sharp peak whose frequency, f(t), increases linearly with time and consistent with the expected dispersive behaviour from a source at 6150 nautical miles (presumably a storm in the Ross Sea). The seismic spectra show peaks at f(t) and at 2 f(t); the double frequency peak contains 100 times the energy of the peak at the primary frequency. A comparison between the peak frequencies and band widths of the seismic and ocean wave spectra, and an estimate of the direction and beam width of the seismic radiation, leads to the following conclusions: that the microseismic generation area is predominantly local, being confined to a distance of 100 miles up or down the coast. For the primary frequencies the generative strip is presumably confined to shallow water; for the double frequencies it extends 200 miles seaward.