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Ray theory for energy transmission in snow

NUCLEAR WEAPONS EFFECTS DIVISION U. S. ARMY ENGINEER WATERWAYS EXPERIMENT STATION, VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI

Abstract

This paper discusses the transmission of compressional waves originated by a point source at the surface of a half-space of snow. The seismic velocity of snow is assumed to be a function of only one of the space coordinates, the depth. An expression is derived from field data to show this dependence. An analysis of the rays based on Snell's law provides equations that show the ray paths of the energy and the arrival time of the energy at any point on its particular ray. The rays are graphed for several different angles of entry. The equation for arrival times is evaluated at several points in the snow, and the results compared with measured arrival times at these points. The measured times were taken from field data gathered (near Camp Century, Greenland) by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. An equation is developed for the attenuation of intensity with horizontal distance from the explosion.