We have compiled a large set of group velocity measurements for fundamental mode Rayleigh waves with period smaller than 100 seconds. These data are composed of worldwide information gathered from the geophysical literature. Part of the data was compiled in previous works, and a second part of these data was measured in this thesis. For the South American plate, we have selected the main sets of measurements for such waves and gathered them in several profiles, for which the depth distribution of the shear wave velocity was determined from the inversion of the group velocity dispersion curves. These depth profiles were useful to have an idea of the internal structure of the Earth underneath the South American plate. Using the global group velocity data set, it was possible to determine the maps showing the lateral variation of group velocity for reference period values ranging from 20 to 100 seconds. These maps were produced in the same way that ROSA (1986) used to generate the corresponding phase velocity maps, using blocks measuring 10x10 degrees around the earth and considering the mercator projection. The group velocity value at each block was obtained, for each reference period value, from the stochastic inversion of the travel time delays from the JORDAN (1981) each model, considering the average group velocity values determined by ROSA et al. (1992) for this model. The group velocity maps obtained here were then jointly used with the phase velocity values determined by ROSA (1986) for the determination of the earth’s internal distribution of shear wave velocity as well as the density distribution, from the depth inversion of both phase and group velocity dispersion curves. The results enabled us to construct the first map showing the possible depth of the Moho discontinuity (upper mantle depth) for South America.
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