Source Characterization of Underground Explosions from Combined Regional Moment Tensor and First-Motion Analysis

Analysis of Regional Seismic Data for Underground Explosions

In recent years, numerous regional seismic event discrimination studies have shown that the high-frequency (usually greater than 3–4 Hz), P/S spectral amplitude ratios of regional P (Pg or Pn) and S (Sg, Sn or Lg) waves observed at distance range from few kilometers up to about 2,000 kilometers, provide an efficient method to classify regional earthquakes, quarry blasts and underground nuclear ...

Refinement of Regional Distance Seismic Moment Tensor and Uncertainty Analysis for Source-type Identification

We build on our earlier results (DE-FC52-06NA27324, Dreger et al., 2008; Ford et al., 2010; Ford et al., 2009a, b; Ford et al., 2008) in which it has been demonstrated that regional distance moment tensor analysis can discriminate explosions from naturally occurring earthquakes and mine collapses. In this project, as an effort to refine procedures for implementation we develop a more complete u...

Delayed signatures of underground nuclear explosions.

Radionuclide signals from underground nuclear explosions (UNEs) are strongly influenced by the surrounding hydrogeologic regime. One effect of containment is delay of detonation-produced radioxenon reaching the surface as well as lengthening of its period of detectability compared to uncontained explosions. Using a field-scale tracer experiment, we evaluate important transport properties of a f...

Source Models and Yield-scaling Relations for Underground Nuclear Explosions at Amchitka Island by Thorne Lay*,

Source models are determined for the three underground nuclear explosions at the Amchitka test site using seismic observations in the period range 0.5 to 20.0 sec. Empirical yield-scaling relations are inferred from the source models and compared with the predictions of the Haskell, Mueller-Murphy, and finite difference numerical models. Several recent studies of high-frequency, near-field sign...

Source Moment Tensor Estimation of Surface Mining Blasts