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

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Bonner, J. Articles by Pasyanos, M. GeoRef GeoRef Citation

The Surface Wave Magnitude for the 9 October 2006 North Korean Nuclear Explosion

Weston Geophysical Corporation, 4000 S. Medford, Suite 10W, Lufkin, Texas 75901 bonner{at}westongeophysical.com

Robert B. Herrmann

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Saint Louis University, 3642 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63108 rbh{at}eas.slu.edu

David Harkrider

Weston Geophysical Corporation, 57 Bedford Street, Suite 102, Lexington, Massachusetts 02420 hark{at}ourconcord.net

Michael Pasyanos

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, MS L-205, Livermore, California 94551-0808 pasyanos1{at}llnl.gov

Surface waves were generated by the North Korean nuclear explosion of 9 October 2006 and were recorded at epicentral distances up to 34°, from which we estimated a surface wave magnitude (M_s) of 2.94 with an interstation standard deviation of 0.17 magnitude units. The International Data Center estimated a body-wave magnitude (m_b) of 4.1. This is the only explosion we have analyzed that was not easily screened as an explosion based on the differences between the M_s and m_b estimates. Additionally, this M_s predicts a yield, based on empirical M_s/yield relationships, that is almost an order of magnitude larger than the 0.5–1 kt reported for this explosion. We investigate how emplacement medium effects on surface wave moment and magnitude may have contributed to the yield discrepancy.