Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

On various mechanisms of shear wave generation from underground chemical explosions in hard rocks

Journal Article · · Geophysical Journal International
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggac442· OSTI ID:2008155
 [1]
  1. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Significant shear waves observed during underground explosions can make them look similar to natural earthquakes. In the near field, they can be caused by the source geometry and emplacement conditions, heterogeneous and anisotropic properties of the rock mass, relaxation of a non-uniform in situ stress around the source after the departure of the shock wave as well as by activation of nearby faults. Here, the stress relaxation mechanism is important at depth when the difference in main principal stresses becomes significant. Another mechanism of shear motion generation is due to explosive gas flow from the source cavity into the cracks initiated by the shock wave and joints connected to the cavity. Also, the shock wave from the explosion can cause weakening of the rock either due to permanent damage or shock-induced liquefaction at saturated joints. Numerical modelling of underground chemical explosions in hard rock at various confinement stresses has been conducted to compare various mechanisms of shear wave generation and their seismic characteristics with that of a simple fault rupture process observed during an earthquake.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
2008155
Report Number(s):
LLNL--JRNL-827228; 1038338
Journal Information:
Geophysical Journal International, Journal Name: Geophysical Journal International Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 232; ISSN 0956-540X
Publisher:
Oxford University PressCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (80)

Chemical Explosion Experiments to Improve Nuclear Test Monitoring journal July 2013
Homogenized moment tensor and the effect of near‐field heterogeneities on nonisotropic radiation in nuclear explosion journal June 2016
Two Sources of Nonisotropic Radiation From Underground Explosions in Granite journal November 2017
A three-invariant smooth cap model with mixed hardening journal October 1994
Simple Common Plane contact algorithm: SIMPLE COMMON PLANE CONTACT journal December 2011
Shock-Wave Phenomena and the Properties of Condensed Matter book January 2004
Crack extension caused by internal gas pressure compared with extension caused by tensile stress journal March 1983
The shear strength of rock joints in theory and practice journal December 1977
Versuche �ber den Einflu� der mittleren Hauptspannung auf das Flie�en der Metalle Eisen, Kupfer und Nickel journal November 1926
Effects of Rock Damage on Seismic Waves Generated by Explosions journal October 2001
Seismic Source Characteristics of Nuclear and Chemical Explosions in Granite from Hydrodynamic Simulations journal November 2012
An algorithm for continuum modeling of rocks with multiple embedded nonlinearly-compliant joints journal April 2017
Microseismic Full Waveform Modeling in Anisotropic Media with Moment Tensor Implementation journal March 2018
Discrimination of induced seismicity by full moment tensor inversion and decomposition journal May 2012
A new shear strength model incorporating influence of infill materials for rock joints journal July 2016
A review of theories of mechanisms of induced seismicity journal December 1976
Earthquakes induced by fluid injection and explosion journal March 1970
Modelling of gas-driven fractures induced by propellant combustion within a borehole journal February 1985
Mechanical and numerical modeling of a porous elastic–viscoplastic material with tensile failure journal March 2000
Can unbiased source be retrieved from anisotropic waveforms by using an isotropic model of the medium? journal October 2002
Regional distance seismic moment tensors of nuclear explosions journal October 2002
On the numerical integration of three-invariant elastoplastic constitutive models journal February 2003
Modeling the dynamic response of rock masses with multiple compliant fluid saturated joint sets—Part I: Mesoscale simulations journal May 2021
Generic strength model for dry jointed rock masses journal December 2008
How close to failure is a granite rock mass at a 5km depth? journal January 2007
Effect of soil–infilled joints on the stability of rock wedges formed in a tunnel roof journal July 2010
Modeling dynamic fracture in granite under in situ conditions at high temperatures and pressures journal January 2019
Strain rate effect on fault slip and rupture evolution: Insight from meter-scale rock friction experiments journal May 2018
Inversion for parameters of tensile earthquakes journal August 2001
Heating and weakening of faults during earthquake slip: HEATING AND WEAKENING OF FAULTS journal May 2006
Groundwater table mounding, pore pressure, and liquefaction induced by explosions: Energy‐distance relations journal December 2007
Constitutive relationships and physical basis of fault strength due to flash heating journal January 2008
Identifying isotropic events using a regional moment tensor inversion: ISOTROPIC EVENTS journal January 2009
Seismic wave generation by a nonisotropic explosion source journal December 2009
An analysis of shear waves generated by the Sterling explosion journal March 2009
Source analysis of the Memorial Day explosion, Kimchaek, North Korea journal January 2009
Self-similar distribution and properties of macroscopic fractures at depth in crystalline rock in the Cajon Pass Scientific Drill Hole journal January 1992
Dynamic modeling of explosively driven hydrofractures journal January 1991
An approximate analytical model of shock waves from underground nuclear explosions journal January 1992
The role of plastic deformation in normal loading and unloading cycles journal August 1994
The compensated linear-vector dipole: A possible mechanism for deep earthquakes journal September 1970
Mechanism of Love-Wave excitation by explosive sources journal March 1972
Spallation and the generation of surface waves by an underground explosion journal May 1973
Hysteresis in the closure of a nominally flat crack journal January 1983
SH motion from explosions in soil journal October 1961
Release of tectonic strain by underground nuclear explosions journal January 1962
Surface wave radiation patterns for underground nuclear explosions and small-magnitude earthquakes journal September 1963
Hugoniot equation of state of twelve rocks journal October 1967
Time history of the cavity pressure and temperature following a nuclear detonation in alluvium journal October 1967
Simple, Convenient Isotropic Failure Surface journal February 1991
Wave generations from confined explosions in rocks
  • Liu, C. L.; Ahrens, Thomas J.
  • The tenth American Physical Society topical conference on shock compression of condensed matter, AIP Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1063/1.55601
conference January 1998
An Informative Solution to a Seismological Inverse Problem journal May 1973
The physics of earthquakes journal July 2004
Multipole radiation of seismic waves from explosions in nonspherical cavities and its application to signal identification journal May 1995
Flash Heating Leads to Low Frictional Strength of Crustal Rocks at Earthquake Slip Rates journal October 2011
Adaptive Mesh Refinement for Wave Propagation in Nonlinear Solids journal July 1995
Model Investigation of Explosions in Prestressed Media journal August 1967
Dynamic Photoelastic Studies of p and s wave Propagation in Prestressed Media journal October 1969
Seismic velocity changes caused by an overburden stress journal September 2013
Source-Parameter Estimation by Full Waveform Inversion in 3D Heterogeneous, Viscoelastic, Anisotropic Media journal April 2001
Earthquake Ruptures with Strongly Rate-Weakening Friction and Off-Fault Plasticity, Part 1: Planar Faults journal September 2011
Explosion Shear-Wave Generation in Low-Velocity Source Media journal August 2012
Shear Waves from Explosions in Granite Revisited: Lessons Learned from the New England Damage Experiment journal October 2012
Simulation of Explosion Ground Motions Using a Hydrodynamic-to-Elastic Coupling Approach in Three Dimensions journal June 2013
3D Numerical Modeling of Tectonic Strain Release from Explosions journal January 2015
Phenomenology and Modeling of Explosion‐Generated Shear Energy for the Source Physics Experiments journal January 2016
Analysis of Ground Motion from An Underground Chemical Explosion journal September 2015
Using P / S Amplitude Ratios for Seismic Discrimination at Local Distances journal July 2016
Cavity Radius Scaling for Underground Explosions in Hard Rock journal September 2016
Investigating the Effectiveness of P/S Amplitude Ratios for Local Distance Event Discrimination journal March 2019
Characterization of Spall in Hard Rock from Observations and Simulations of the Source Physics Experiment Phase I journal February 2020
Description of Seismic Sources in Underground Mines: Theory journal August 2020
Source Separation and Medium Change of Contained Chemical Explosions from Coda Wave Interferometry journal April 2021
Seismic effects of the MILROW and CANNIKIN nuclear explosions journal December 1972
The effect of tectonic stress release on explosion P -wave signatures journal October 1976
The determination of source properties by the linear inversion of seismograms journal December 1977
Anomalous surface waves from underground explosions journal December 1979
Regional discrimination between NTS explosions and western U.S. earthquakes journal August 1989
Seismic Anisotropy and Global Geodynamics journal January 2002
Free-field ground motion induced by underground explosions report February 1975

Similar Records

Two Sources of Nonisotropic Radiation From Underground Explosions in Granite
Journal Article · Sun Oct 22 20:00:00 EDT 2017 · Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth · OSTI ID:1411684

Near-field non-radial motion generation from underground chemical explosions in jointed granite
Journal Article · Thu Sep 21 20:00:00 EDT 2017 · Geophysical Journal International · OSTI ID:1411676