Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America; April 1997; v. 87; no. 2; p. 383-395
© 1997 Seismological Society of America
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Tinker, M. A.
Right arrow Articles by Wallace, T. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
GeoRef
Right arrow GeoRef Citation

Regional phase development of the Non-proliferation Experiment within the western United States

Mark Andrew Tinker and Terry C. Wallace

Southern Arizona Seismic Observatory Department of Geosciences University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721

Abstract

To effectively monitor a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, seismologists must be able to confidently detect and identify low-yield explosions. This requires the use of short-period regional phases, which can be extremely complicated. The Non-Proliferation Experiment (NPE) was a low-yield chemical explosion detonated at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and recorded at more than 50 broadband seismic stations located throughout the western United States. These data were used to investigate the development of Lg and Pn, two seismic phases used in regional discriminants. The frequency-dependent attenuation for Lg recorded at 43 stations is described by the relation QLg (vertical) = 238 f1.28. The amplitude decay for Pn recorded at 38 stations is proportional to {Delta}–(1.29 + 0.05f) for the frequency window of 1 to 6 Hz. After removing the effects of distance and attenuation, we found the values of the spectral ratio Lg (4-6)/(2-4) to group according to the geologic terrain associated with the path traveled. Stations located within the Basin and Range had lower ratio values than stations located outside the Basin and Range. However, for the spectral ratio Pn (2-4)/(4-6), geologic terrain had an indirect effect. Pn is affected by Moho structure associated with the backazimuth, causing an azimuthal dependence. Of course, Moho structure can be a function of geologic terrain. Furthermore, the Pn arrival may be large or small, independent of azimuth. The values of the discriminant phase ratio Pn (1-2)/Lg (2-4) have an order of magnitude more scatter than Lg/Lg or Pn/Pn. Nonetheless, the values are both a function of geologic terrain (the Lg contribution) as well as Moho structure (Pn contribution).




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
J. Xie
Pn Attenuation beneath the Tibetan Plateau
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 2007; 97(6): 2040 - 2052.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
X. Yang, T. Lay, X.-B. Xie, and M. S. Thorne
Geometric Spreading of Pn and Sn in a Spherical Earth Model
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 2007; 97(6): 2053 - 2065.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
B. W. Stump, D. C. Pearson, and V. Hsu
Source Scaling of Contained Chemical Explosions as Constrained by Regional Seismograms
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, June 1, 2003; 93(3): 1212 - 1225.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
F. Ringdal
Study of low-magnitude seismic events near the Novaya Zemlya nuclear test site
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 1997; 87(6): 1563 - 1575.
[Abstract] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1997 by the Seismological Society of America.