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Abstract The microtremor horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method, as an emerging passive seismic technique, shows strong potential for high-resolution imaging of shallow subsurface structures. By incorporating full-wavefield contributions and enabling access to high-frequency signals (5 Hz), it resolves detailed near-surface features (200 m depth) with high lateral resolution using single-station observations. This study develops a complete HVSR methodological framework to address key challenges in metallic ore exploration, such as strong seismic scattering and poor high-frequency signal recovery. Based on diffuse field assumption theory and Markov Chain Monte Carlo inversion, we introduce a “three-step” blind inversion strategy to overcome the common absence of borehole data and prior information in mining areas. Applied to the Tonglüshan Ore District in Hubei Province, the method successfully reconstructs shear-wave velocity (VS) structures down to 200 m depth, revealing velocity anomalies correlated with different mineralization types. Key results include: (1) HVSR curves exhibit superior sensitivity and inversion performance for shallow structures compared with fundamental-mode dispersion curves; (2) shallow low-velocity anomalies (VS≈600 m/s) at 50 m depth align spatially with west-northwest- and north-northeast-trending fault zones and breccia-type ore bodies; (3) high-velocity anomalies (VS2200 m/s) at 150–200 m depth correspond to skarn-type ore bodies in quartz monzodioritic porphyry contact zones. This work validates the reliability and effectiveness of the HVSR method for structural imaging in complex ore districts, offering an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to active-source seismic surveys and a new technical approach for mineral exploration in covered regions.
Xie et al. (Thu,) studied this question.