HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) References Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Stump, B. W. Articles by Reinke, R. E. Search for Related Content GeoRef GeoRef Citation

Source comparisons between nuclear and chemical explosions detonated at Rainier Mesa, Nevada Test Site

Department of Geological Sciences Southern Methodist University, P.O. Box 750395, Dallas, Texas 75275-0395
Geophysics Group,, EES-3, MS-C335Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
Defense Threat Reduction Agency, SWP-1, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico 87117

Abstract

A series of nuclear [MINERAL QUARRY (MQ), HUNTERS TROPHY (HT)] and chemical [NON-PROLIFERATION EXPERIMENT (NPE) and NPECAL] explosions were detonated in the same geological material at Rainier Mesa, Nevada Test Site. These sources were extensively instrumented with the same near-source, free-surface instrumentation array. The data from these explosions allow the establishment of empirical source scaling relations as well as investigation of possible chemical and nuclear source differences. Even in the near-source region at common receivers, the data display propagation path effects resulting from slight differences in source locations. These effects are effectively taken into account by smoothing the source comparisons across the different stations in the receiver array. As many as 30 individual waveforms from each source are used in this smoothing process. Comparison of HT and NPE at near-source distances indicates that within the bandwidth of the data (0.36 to 100 Hz), there is no apparent spectral difference between the nuclear and single-fired chemical source. The smoothed spectral ratio between the NPE and NPE CAL is consistent with the long-period source spectral difference (10⁴), corner frequencies (2 to 3 Hz/NPE and 40 to 60 Hz/NPE CAL), and high-frequency decay (^–2) similar to the Mueller-Murphy source model for wet tuff after modifying the cavity radius to scale as the cube root of yield. Comparison of the two nuclear sources, HT and MQ, indicates that at long periods, the HT/MQ ratio is 0.4 to 0.6 with the spectra from the two explosions merging above 5 Hz, which is consistent with the 0.3 magnitude difference observed for the two sources. In all the source comparisons, the spectral ratios of the transverse components of motion are indistinguishable from those produced by either the vertical or radial components. This fact argues that the transverse component of motion from an explosion is generated at very close-in distances, in this case on the order of 1 to 2 km. These observations are in agreement with some type of linear scattering mechanism.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. L. Bonner, M. R. Leidig, C. Sammis, and R. J. Martin Explosion Coupling in Frozen and Unfrozen Rock: Experimental Data Collection and Analysis Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, April 1, 2009; 99(2A): 830 - 851. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				X. Yang and J. L. Bonner Characteristics of Chemical Explosive Sources from Time-Dependent Moment Tensors Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, February 1, 2009; 99(1): 36 - 51. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R.-M. Zhou and B. W. Stump Frequency-Domain Scaling of Single-Fired Mining Explosions with Different Confinements and Explosive Weights Detonated in Porphyry Granite Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 2007; 97(6): 1862 - 1879. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Hooper, J. Bonner, and M. Leidig Effects of Confinement on Short-Period Surface Waves: Observations from a New Dataset Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, April 1, 2006; 96(2): 697 - 712. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. T. Goforth, C. H. Hetzer, and B. W. Stump Characteristics of Regional Seismograms Produced by Delay-Fired Explosions at the Minntac Iron Mine, Minnesota Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, February 1, 2006; 96(1): 272 - 287. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				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]

				Empirical Scaling Laws for Truck Bomb Explosions Based on Seismic and Acoustic Data Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, March 1, 2002; 92(2): 527 - 542.