RFSelector

Interactive Receiver Function Selection Tool

A Python-based GUI tool for visually selecting and filtering teleseismic receiver functions. RFSelector allows users to interactively browse receiver functions, toggle selection with mouse clicks, and adjust display parameters in real-time.

Features

• Interactive Selection: Click on individual receiver functions to toggle selection
• Real-time Mean Calculation: Automatically updates the stacked mean as you select/deselect traces
• Flexible Sorting: Sort receiver functions by back-azimuth or epicentral distance
• Adjustable Display: Change gain/amplification on-the-fly with keyboard shortcuts
• Batch Processing: Process multiple stations sequentially
• Keyboard Shortcuts: Efficient workflow with intuitive keyboard commands
• Multiple File Formats: Supports SAC, miniSEED, and other ObsPy-compatible formats

Installation

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• NumPy
• Matplotlib
• ObsPy

Install Dependencies

pip install numpy matplotlib obspy

Or use the provided requirements file:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/RFSelector.git
cd RFSelector

Quick Start

1. Configure paths in rf_selector.py:

   class Config:
       BASE_DIR = "path/to/your/receiver_functions"
       OUT_DIR = "path/to/output/selected_RFs"
       STATIONS = ["STATION1", "STATION2", "STATION3"]
       PATTERN = "*.sac"  # or "*.eqr", "*.mseed", etc.

2. Run the program:

   python rf_selector.py

3. Select receiver functions:

   • Click on traces to toggle selection (red/blue = selected, gray = deselected)
   • Use keyboard shortcuts (see below)
   • Press w to save selected traces
   • Press q to move to next station

Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
Click	Toggle trace selection
w	Save selected traces and move to next station
q	Quit current station without saving
r	Restore all traces (select all)
c	Clear all traces (deselect all)
+ or =	Increase gain (amplification)
-	Decrease gain
b	Sort by back-azimuth
d	Sort by distance

Configuration Parameters

Edit the Config class in rf_selector.py to customize:

Directory Settings

• BASE_DIR: Input directory containing station folders
• OUT_DIR: Output directory for selected RFs
• STATIONS: List of station names to process
• PATTERN: File pattern (e.g., ".sac", ".eqr")

Timing Parameters

• P_ARRIVAL_ABS: Absolute time of P-wave arrival (seconds)
• T_BEFORE: Time window before P to display (seconds)
• T_AFTER: Time window after P to display (seconds)

Display Settings

• GAIN: Initial amplitude gain factor (can be adjusted with +/- keys)
• FIGSIZE: Figure size in inches (width, height)
• SORT_BY: Initial sorting ('baz' or 'distance')

Visual Appearance

• FILL_ALPHA_KEEP: Transparency for selected traces
• FILL_ALPHA_DROP: Transparency for deselected traces
• COLOR_POSITIVE: Color for positive amplitudes
• COLOR_NEGATIVE: Color for negative amplitudes

File Structure

RFSelector/
├── rf_selector.py          # Main program
├── README.md               # This file
├── requirements.txt        # Python dependencies
├── LICENSE                 # MIT License
├── docs/
│   └── USER_GUIDE.md      # Detailed user guide
└── example_data/
    └── README.md          # Instructions for obtaining example data

Input Data Format

RFSelector expects receiver functions organized as:

BASE_DIR/
├── STATION1/
│   ├── file1.sac
│   ├── file2.sac
│   └── ...
├── STATION2/
│   ├── file1.sac
│   └── ...
└── ...

Required Header Information

Each receiver function file should contain:

• Time series data: Receiver function amplitude
• Timing: Either starting time or P-arrival marker
• Back-azimuth (optional): For sorting by BAZ
• Epicentral distance (optional): For sorting by distance

Supported header keys:

• Back-azimuth: baz, back_azimuth, backazimuth (SAC or ObsPy stats)
• Distance: gcarc, dist, distance, epicentral_distance

Example Data

See example_data/README.md for instructions on downloading publicly available receiver function data from IRIS DMC or other sources.

Workflow

1. Prepare Data: Organize receiver functions in station folders
2. Configure: Set paths and parameters in Config class
3. Run: Execute python rf_selector.py
4. Select: Use mouse and keyboard to select quality RFs
5. Save: Press w to save selected traces
6. Repeat: Program automatically moves to next station

Tips for Selection

• Look for coherent patterns across multiple RFs
• Remove outliers with unusual amplitudes or timing
• Check the mean trace (black line) for quality
• Use sorting to identify azimuthal variations
• Adjust gain if traces are too small/large to evaluate