Re-Evaluation of Evasion Possibilities for Conducting Nuclear Explosions in Underground Cavities in Former USSR.
Abstract
The detonation of nuclear explosions in large underground cavities so as to muffle or decouple the seismic waves they generated has been debated for more than 35 years. The research completed under this contract is concerned with various aspects of verifying a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in an evasive environment wherein decoupled nuclear testing might be attempted. Chapter 1 reviews the history of the decoupling concept, assesses what countries have the technological capabilities to carry out such a test of a given yield, and evaluates a number of decoupling scenarios. I conclude that testing with large decoupling factors, DF, is feasible for yields of a few kilotons (kt) or larger only in cavities in salt domes. Past nuclear explosions conducted in salt for which cavities may remain standing that are large enough for the full decoupling of explosions with yields > 0.5 kt are concentrated in only a few areas of Kazaldistan and Russia. The existence of all cavities of that size that were created by past nuclear explosions is known since the explosions that created those cavities must be at least 20 times larger in yield than the size of a fully decoupled event that can be detonated in them. Hence, the monitoring of cavities created in that way that may remain standing should be relatively easy at the 1 kt level if appropriate verification measures are put in place. While large cavities can be created in salt by solution
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 13, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA313602
Entities
People
- Lynn R. Sykes
Organizations
- Columbia University