Body wave calculations using moment tensor sources in spherically symmetric, inhomogeneous media

Summary. Characterization of the seismic source in terms of the moment tensor has become standard practice in normal mode and surface wave theory. In theoretical body wave seismology, however, this is less common. In order to bring the power of body wave observations to bear on many contemporary problems, a moment tensor representation for body wave sources is required. This paper contrasts the direct and propagator matrix methods of solving the elastic equations of motion in slowly varying, inhomogeneous media. Specific attention is given to formulating a moment tensor source description for body wave applications, including the generation of synthetic seismograms and source recovery techniques.