Solution

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

For a P-to-S converted seismic head wave, set the transmitted S-wave angle to , giving . At the limestone–sandstone boundary, , so no transmitted S-wave head wave is possible for incidence from limestone.
At the sandstone–salt boundary, using the stated interpretation ,
The P-transmission seismic critical angle is lower, , but this does not forbid the converted S branch: at the transmitted P field is evanescent while the S field reaches grazing incidence.

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