Refraction tomography mapping of near‐surface dipping layers using landstreamer data at East Canyon Dam, Utah

We apply the P-wave refraction-tomography method to seismic data collected with a landstreamer. Refractiontomography inversion solutions were determined using regularization parameters that provided the most realistic near-surface solutions that best matched the dipping layer structure of nearby outcrops. A reasonably well matched solution was obtained using an unusual set of optimal regularization parameters. In comparison, the use of conventional regularization parameters did not provide as realistic results. Thus, we consider that even if there is only qualitative a-priori information about a site (i.e., visual)—as in the case of the East Canyon Dam, Utah—it might be possible to minimize the refraction nonuniqueness by estimating the most appropriate regularization parameters.