Source time functions of nuclear explosions and earthquakes in Central Asia determined using empirical Green`s functions

Journal Article · Tue Jan 10 04:00:00 EST 1995 · Journal of Geophysical Research

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/94JB02465· OSTI ID:135973

Li, Y; Toksoez, M N; Rodi, W ^[1]

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1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States)

Relative source time functions (RSTF) have been estimated for four underground nuclear explosions and seven earthquakes in Central Asia using broadband P waveforms of nearby smaller events as empirical Green`s functions (EGF). RSTFs of the four explosions (m{sub b} = 5.3 to 6.5) are each dominated by a simple pulse with a source duration of 0.4 to 0.8 s. RSTFs for two of the explosions show a significant secondary pulse with a pulse width similar to that of the first pulse. The authors conclude that the secondary phases are most likely associated with the spall slapdown phenomenon. Seismic moment releases by the spall phases are less than one third of those by the first explosion pulses. Elastic radii of the explosions are estimated to be about 0.25 to 0.5 km, and stress drops of the explosion range from 13 to 52 MPa. In contrast, RSTFs of earthquakes studied (m{sub b} = 5.5 to 6.6) typically comprise multiple source pulses with a total source duration from a few to several tens of seconds, indication that the complex source process involves a fault dimension of several tens of kilometers. Stress drops of the earthquakes are much smaller than those of the nuclear explosions, ranging from 0.5 to 3.5 MPa. The authors study demonstrates the power of the EGF method for retrieving RSTFs and reveals that differences in RSTFs and source parameters can be used to distinguish large nuclear explosions from moderate to large earthquakes (m{sub b}{>=}5.5). 80 refs., 11 figs., 6 tabs.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 135973
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research Journal Issue: B1 Vol. 100; ISSN JGREA2; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

35 ARMS CONTROL
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
NUCLEAR EXPLOSION DETECTION
SEISMIC P WAVES
TIME-SERIES ANALYSIS
UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS