Rock melt from an underground nuclear explosion

Technical Report · Mon Mar 11 04:00:00 EDT 1974

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4321502· OSTI ID:4321502

Butkovich, T R

S>Knowledge of the deposition of energy with distance around an underground nuclear explosion has significance in predicting chemical processes in the multimineralic rock substance surrounding the explosion. When a nuclear explosion is detonated, the shock wave that emanates from the explosion center does PdV work on the rock substance and deposits energy. Energy deposition due to the passage of the shock wave is determined from hydrodynamic code calculations which keep track of internal energy with distance and time. The energy distribution with distance depends on the compressibility of the rock. Rock of low density and high porosity requires a larger increase in internal energy to shock it to a given pressure than an essentially pore-free dense rock. Interpretation of hydrodynamic code calculations shows that 1000 to 1200 metric tons/kt of melt is produced from dense granite and that two to three times as much melt is produced from dry porous ash-fall tuff. Radiochemical analysis of melt samples recovered from near the shot point tend to confirm these results. (auth)

• Research Organization: California Univ., Livermore (USA). Lawrence Livermore Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• NSA Number: NSA-29-029266
• OSTI ID: 4321502
• Report Number(s): UCRL--51554
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

*NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS-- ROCKS
*ROCKS-- MELTING
DENSITY
ENERGY LOSSES
N42500* --Engineering--Nuclear Explosions
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
POROSITY
SEISMIC WAVES
UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS
WAVE PROPAGATION