Sterling revisited: The seismic source for a cavity-decoupled explosion

Journal Article · Sun Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1987 · Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/GL014i011p01103· OSTI ID:5609476

Glenn, L A; Denny, M D; Rial, J A

In the STERLING event, a 0.38 kt nuclear device was exploded inside a roughly spherical cavity, of approximately 17 m radius. The cavity, located in the Tatum salt domain (near Hattiesburg, Mississippi), had been created by a 5.3 kt tamped explosion more than 2 years earlier (Almon event). Analysis of data obtained in SALMON and STERLING indicated a corner frequency for STERLING near 10 Hz, a factor of 4 less than predicted by the simplest decoupling theory. We have performed a comprehensive re-examination of the experimental records and find that the original report was incorrect, a consequence of not properly accounting for noise in the seismic analysis. The new study, based on direct spectral analysis of the free-field data, indicates that the STERLING experiment was in near perfect agreement with theory. This is a potentially significant result for seismic monitoring of a low-yield threshold test ban.

• Research Organization: University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Earth Sciences Department
• OSTI ID: 5609476
• Journal Information: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States), Journal Name: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States) Vol. 14:11; ISSN GPRLA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
450201* -- Military Technology
Weaponry
& National Defense-- Nuclear Explosions & Explosives-- Containment
DATA ANALYSIS
DETECTION
EXPLOSIONS
NUCLEAR EXPLOSION DETECTION
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
SALMON EVENT
SEISMIC DETECTION
SEISMIC WAVES
STERLING EVENT
UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS
VELA PROJECT