Two and Three Dimensional Numerical Modeling of Surface Waves from Underground Explosions, Analysis of Data from the Soviet JVE, and Magnitude/ Yield Relations for East Kazakh Explosions

Abstract

We perform three dimensional finite difference simulation of surface waves generated at the Amchitka test site and find that the Aleutian arc structure causes higher amplitudes to the east relative to the north and south, and that this structure can also generate rapid amplitude changes over a small range of azimuths and generate Love waves with substantial amplitudes. A series of two-dimensional finite difference simulations show that long period surface wave amplitudes can be sharply reduced by detonation on an island, in a mountain, or in a high velocity medium embedded in a low velocity medium, however the topography and bathymetry of the Amchitka test site are too gentle to cause a significant amplitude reduction. Moment tensor inversions are performed on the JVE and four other Soviet explosions. The JVE is found to be a low tectonic release event with an F factor of 0.2. Data recorded by the University of Nevada, Reno, at three stations within 300 km of the JVE are inverted to determine the shear velocity structure to depths of approximately 30 km near the Shagan River test site. A maximum likelihood analysis of the yields released in the paper by Bocharov shows that mb for a 20 KT East Kazakh explosion is 5.53.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1991
Accession Number
ADA246771

Entities

People

  • B. Shkoller
  • J. L. Stevens
  • K. L. Mclaughlin
  • S. M. Day
  • T. G. Barker

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Data Analysis
  • Diffraction
  • Elastic Waves
  • Explosions
  • Geometry
  • Love Waves
  • Planetary Sciences
  • Plasmids
  • Rayleigh Waves
  • Simulations
  • Surface Waves
  • Three Dimensional
  • Topography
  • Two Dimensional
  • Underground Explosions
  • United States
  • Wave Propagation

Readers

  • Seismology