Broadband Seismic Recordings of Mining Explosions and Earthquakes in South America
Abstract
The signing of the CTBT creates the challenge of monitoring the globe to ensure that there is no nuclear weapons testing. This means that the International Monitoring System must detect, locate, and identify with a high degree of accuracy a large number of seismic events. Individual countries will need to evaluate the events and discriminate man-caused events from naturally occurring seismicity. In regions of high seismicity and mining, the task is difficult without regional characterization and evaluation of the transportability of seismic wave discriminants. South America has regions of active seismicity and mining, yet many of these events are not to be found in the global bulletins. Although South America is not currently a region of geopolitical interest, still it remains a region which is not well understood and in which traditional discriminants do not always work. For example, Chile leads the world in copper production. Thus mining activity occurs on a daily basis and Chile is located above an active subduction zone, hence the discimination problem. Shallow earthquake and mine blast data (both for sub-surface and open pit) have been very thoroughly analyzed; the data were recorded on a local network. Amplitude ratio have been applied to test the P/S wave discriminate transportability through Chile.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA329679
Entities
People
- Susan L. Beck
- Terry C. Wallace
Organizations
- University of Arizona