Blast induced subsidence in the craters of nuclear tests over coral

Conference · Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5908452

Burton, D E; Swift, R P; Glenn, H D; Bryan, J B

The craters from high-yield nuclear tests at the Pacific Proving Grounds are very broad and shallow in comparison with the bowl-shaped craters formed in continental rock at the Nevada Test Site and elsewhere. Attempts to account for the differences quantitatively have been generally unsatisfactory. We have for the first time successfully modeled the Koa Event, a representative coral-atoll test. On the basis of plausible assumptions about the geology and about the constitutive relations for coral, we have shown that the size and shape of the Koa crater can be accounted for by subsidence and liquefaction phenomena. If future studies confirm these assumptions, it will mean that some scaling formulas based on data from the Pacific will have to be revised to avoid overestimating weapons effects in continental geology. 9 refs., 5 figs.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5908452
• Report Number(s): UCRL-91639; CONF-850671-4; ON: DE85007975
• Resource Relation: Conference: 26. U.S. symposium on rock mechanics, Rapid City, SD, USA, 26 Jun 1985
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
CRATERS
GROUND SUBSIDENCE
SHAPE
SIZE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
BLAST EFFECTS
BIKINI
CORALS
CRATERING EXPLOSIONS
ENIWETOK
LIQUEFACTION
PACIFIC OCEAN
CAVITIES
CNIDARIA
EXPLOSIONS
ISLANDS
MARSHALL ISLANDS
MICRONESIA
OCEANIA
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WEAPONS
450201* - Military Technology
Weaponry
& National Defense- Nuclear Explosions & Explosives- Containment