 Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-year-2-of-the-earth-sciences-geology-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2023/paper-1/6/d/solution

For a horizontal interface, Snell law for elastic waves conserves horizontal seismic ray parameter

p = sin i / V

. At the limestone–sandstone interface the incident P wave has

p = sin 2 0^{\circ} /2500

. The reflected S wave remains in the limestone, so

sin r_{S} = 1500 p = 0.6 sin 2 0^{\circ}, r_{S} = 11.8 4^{\circ}

from vertical. All angles below use this normal-to-interface convention.

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