SEISMIC WAVES FROM AN UNDERGROUND EXPLOSION IN A SALT BED

Technical Report · Thu Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1962

OSTI ID:4787089

Carder, D S; Mickey, W V; Murphy, L M; Cloud, W K; Jordan, J N; Gordan, D W

Seismic waves resulting from a 5 kt nuclear detonation 1200 feet deep in a salt bed near Carlsbad, New Mexico, were measured by strong-motion seismographs operated by the Coast and Geodetic Survey on the surface in the distance range from 0.5 to 8.8 miles and underground in a potash mine 8.7 to 11.2 miles distant. In addition, many temporary and permanent seismographs were operated on a continentwide and world-wide basis. Ground particle accelerations exceeded those for the Logan shot, a like detonation in tuff, by a factor of about 4, and accelerations underground in the salt bed were about half those on the nearby surface. There was no evidence of damaging accelerations in nearby commercial operations or dwellings. Nearby transient ground particle displacements were about the same as those for the Logan shot, except the frequencies were higher. Attenuation with distance across the plains to the east was relatively low as compared with similar effects in the mountain and plateau area toward the west. Upper mantle travel times likewise were higher toward the east, 8.3 to 8.4 km/ sec, as compared with 7.8 to 8.1 km/sec toward the north, west, and northwest. The estimated magnitude of the Gnome shot was from 4.6 to 5.0, depending on the choice of data. (auth)

• Research Organization: Coast and Geodetic Survey, Washington, D.C.
• NSA Number: NSA-16-012804
• OSTI ID: 4787089
• Report Number(s): PNE-110P
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

DISTANCE
FREQUENCY
GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
LOSSES
MEASURED VALUES
MOTION
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
OSCILLATIONS
PARTICLES
POTASSIUM CARBONATES
PROJECT GNOME
PROJECT HARDTACK
SALTS
SEISMOLOGY
SURFACES
TRANSIENTS
UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS
VELOCITY