"Seismological Attenuation without Q" represents a comprehensive and critical review of the present approach to describing the seismic-wave attenuation within the Earth. Starting from first physical principles, author Igor B. Morozov shows that the existing model of attenuation based on the concept of quality factor, or Q, is inadequate and represents only a phenomenological model. In most cases, Q should not be interpreted as a physical property of the Earth's medium. This text offers an alternate view developed using the concept of attenuation coefficient and illustrated using many...

"Seismological Attenuation without Q" represents a comprehensive and critical review of the present approach to describing the seismic-wave attenuation within the Earth. Starting from first physical principles, author Igor B. Morozov shows that the existing model of attenuation based on the concept of quality factor, or Q, is inadequate and represents only a phenomenological model. In most cases, Q should not be interpreted as a physical property of the Earth's medium. This text offers an alternate view developed using the concept of attenuation coefficient and illustrated using many...