| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
NTNF/NORSAR, P.O. BOX 51, N- 2007 KJELLER, Norway
LAMONT-DOHERTY GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATORY AND DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, PALLISADES, NY 10964
Abstract
Data on underground nuclear explosions have recently become available from modern digital seismic stations installed within the Soviet Union and China. Observations of root mean square (rms) Lg-wave signals for Soviet underground nuclear explosions at the Shagan River Test Site in East Kazakhstan show that the relative amplitudes of the rms signals at stations in Norway, the USSR, and China are very similar for different explosions, the standard deviation of the differences being only about 0.03 in logarithmic units (i.e., magnitude units).
This is consistent with earlier observations comparing NORSAR and Graefenberg array data, and the observed scatter is significantly lower than has been reported for Lg data from Nevada Test Site explosions. In view of the excellent correspondence found by Nuttli (1986) and Patton (1988) for Lg versus yield at Nevada, this indicates that rms Lg has a potential for yield estimation with very high accuracy at Shagan River.
Our study has shown that: (a) selected stations in the USSR and China, situated at regional distances, provide a much improved signal-to-noise ratio of the Lg phase for events at Shagan River, as compared to NORSAR array data; (b) the scaling of rms Lg amplitudes between different-sized events recorded at the same single station site appears to be consistent with that of NORSAR, indicating a remarkable degree of precision in single station measurements of Lg signal; (c) rms Lg amplitude measurements for the best of these stations may be made at 1.5 to 2.0 magnitude units lower than at NORSAR or Graefenberg, allowing a much lower threshold for Lg-based yield determination; and (d) the P-wave detection capabilities of these single stations do not match those of the NORESS and ARCESS arrays; thus, teleseismic signals continue to be important for detection of small nuclear explosions.
Our conclusion is that Lg signals appear to provide an excellent basis for supplying estimates of the yields of nuclear explosions even down to below 1 kt when such signals are recorded at high-quality, digital in-country seismic stations, and when calibrated by access to independent (nonseismic) yield information for a few nuclear explosions at the test sites of interest. In the context of monitoring a low-yield threshold test ban treaty, it will, in addition, be important to take into consideration various environmental conditions in the testing area, such as the possible presence of cavities, and to devise appropriate procedures for on-site observations in this regard.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  L.-F. Zhao, X.-B. Xie, W.-M. Wang, and Z.-X. Yao Regional Seismic Characteristics of the 9 October 2006 North Korean Nuclear Test Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 2008; 98(6): 2571 - 2589. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Numerical Investigation of Lg Geometrical Spreading Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 2002; 92(8): 3067 - 3079.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Determination of Seismic Energy from Lg Waves Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, April 1, 2000; 90(2): 483 - 493.
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. S. Husebye, B. O. Ruud, and A. M. Dainty Robust and reliable epicenter determinations: Envelope processing of local network data Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, February 1, 1998; 88(1): 284 - 290. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. F. Priestley and H. J. Patton Calibration of mb(Pn), mb(Lg) scales and transportability of the M0:mb discriminant to new tectonic regions Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, October 1, 1997; 87(5): 1083 - 1099. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. S. Vogfjord and C. A. Langston Characteristics of short-period wave propagation in regions of Fennoscandia, with emphasis on Lg Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 1996; 86(6): 1873 - 1895. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
G. C. Papanicolaou, L. V. Ryzhik, and J. B. Keller Stability of the P-to-S energy ratio in the diffusive regime Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, August 1, 1996; 86(4): 1107 - 1115. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. L. Jost, J. Schweitzer, and H.-P. Harjes Monitoring nuclear test sites with GERESS Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, February 1, 1996; 86(1A): 172 - 190. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. Koch and B. Stump Implications for upper-mantle structure in the Western United States from complete far-regional seismograms Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, October 1, 1995; 85(5): 1432 - 1444. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
X.-B. Xie and T. Lay The log (rms Lg)-mb scaling law slope Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, June 1, 1995; 85(3): 834 - 844. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
H. J. Patton and S. R. Taylor Analysis of Lg spectral ratios from NTS explosions: Implications for the source mechanisms of spall and the generation of Lg waves Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, February 1, 1995; 85(1): 220 - 236. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. Zhang and T. Lay Effects of crustal structure under the Barents and Kara Seas on short-period regional wave propagation for Novaya Zemlya explosions: Empirical relations Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, August 1, 1994; 84(4): 1132 - 1147. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
X.-B. Xie and T. Lay The excitation of Lg waves by explosions: A finite-difference investigation Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, April 1, 1994; 84(2): 324 - 342. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. Zhang and T. Lay Analysis of short-period regional phase path effects associated with topography in Eurasia Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, February 1, 1994; 84(1): 119 - 132. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. XIE Simultaneous inversion for source spectrum and path Q using Lg with application to three semipalatinsk explosions Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, October 1, 1993; 83(5): 1547 - 1562. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. K. ANDERSON and W. L. NICHOLSON A relative magnitude model for measurements of Soviet underground nuclear explosions from regional stations Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, October 1, 1993; 83(5): 1563 - 1573. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. MAYEDA mb(LgCoda): A stable single station estimator of magnitude Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, June 1, 1993; 83(3): 851 - 861. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
I. N. GUPTA, W. W. CHAN, and R. A. WAGNER A comparison of regional phases from underground nuclear explosions at east Kazakh and Nevada test sites Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, February 1, 1992; 82(1): 352 - 382. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
F. RINGDAL Teleseismic event detection using the NORESS array, with special reference to low-yield semipalatinsk explosions Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 1990; 80(6B): 2127 - 2142. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
