Abstract Shear waves reflected from the Moho (SmS) are frequently identified in ambient noise cross‐correlation functions. Despite their consistent appearance across various arrays and studies, the physical origin and generation mechanisms of these SmS phases remain poorly understood. In this study, by investigating cross‐correlation functions from a linear array, we show that SmS amplitudes strongly correlate with coastal ocean wave height, suggesting an oceanic origin. As microseismic energy propagates inland, crustal heterogeneities—such as Moho topography, surface relief, and variations in crustal velocities—facilitate the construction of SmS signals by altering the incident angles of the wavefields. These findings elucidate the key mechanisms governing SmS excitation and propagation, which will help improve the extraction of SmS phases from ambient noise and enable broader applications in the future.
Xie et al. (2026) studied this question.