Lithospheric Profiles in Western North America,
Abstract
As we move toward a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty for nuclear weapons, it has become increasingly clear that detailed knowledge of lithospheric structure is necessary to verification efforts. Key seismic phases which are being used as discriminants (Pn, Pg, Lg, etc.) to identify suspicious seismic signals travel exclusively in the lithosphere and are thus much affected by its structure. However, the studies needed to acquire detailed knowledge of lithospheric structure require large explosions, recorded by hundreds of seismograph systems. In the former Soviet Union, a series of Peaceful Nuclear Explosions (PNE) were exploded to provide such data. There have been very few PNE in the U.S., and these experiments took place in the 1960's and 1970's long before there were large numbers of digital seismograph systems available to provide detailed recordings. Thus, these few PNE events do not provide detailed pictures of lithospheric structure and propagation of regional phases and cannot serve as effective benchmarks for comparison with other continents. Large chemical explosions can provide suitable sources for lithospheric experiments as proven by the EARLY RISE experiment in the Great Lakes region in the 1960's and the recent Non-Proliferation Experiment at the Nevada Test site (NTS) . However, we have not had an opportunity to conduct a large-scale lithospheric experiment with modern equipment except with NTS sources. The UTEP geophysics group has been conducting a series of investigations in the southwestern U.S. The most recent was undertaken in the summer of 1995 and is the closest thing to a PNE experiment that we will see taking place outside of NTS for the foreseeable future.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 14, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADP204431
Entities
People
- Diane I. Doser
- G. R. Keller
- Kate C. Miller
Organizations
- University of Texas at El Paso