Finite difference cratering support. Analysis of regional data from cratering and non-cratering nuclear explosions. Final technical report

Technical Report · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6927101

Gupta, I N; McLaughlin, K L; Wagner, R W

A comparison of regional phases generated by contained and cratering nuclear explosions is made by examining the amplitudes of various phases and by spectral analyses. Using Ringdal's maximum-likelihood method, in which one can also make use of clipped readings as well as noise measurements, amplitudes of the regional phases Pn, Pg, Lg (corrected for spatial attenuation) and the ratio Pmax/Pa (where Pmax is the largest amplitude in the first 5 sec of Pn and where Pa refers to the a phase) were plotted against the known yields of explosions. No systematic distinction could be observed, at regional distances, between cratering and noncratering explosions at Nevada Test Site; the excitation of various regional phases appears to depend more on conditions at or near the source than on whether the shot produced a crater or not. The authors also examined the spectra of Pn on KN-UT records of several Pahute Mesa explosions covering a wide range of scaled depths. The observed modulation of Pn spectra agreed with that expected due to cancellation by pP in only a few instances. A comparison of the Pn spectra of closely spaced explosions suggested that the pP arrivals are probably severely distorted by the effects of inelastic processes in the source region of large explosions and scattering due to large lateral variations. These two effects may, in most cases, be strong enough not only to obliterate any definite evidence of the classical pP arrival but also mask any differences between cratering and contained explosions recorded at regional distances.

• Research Organization: Teledyne Geotech, Alexandria, VA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6927101
• Report Number(s): AD-A-194496/6/XAB; TGAL-85-5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
450202* -- Explosions & Explosives-- Nuclear-- Weaponry-- (-1989)
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONTAINED EXPLOSIONS
CRATERING EXPLOSIONS
DISTRIBUTION
DOCUMENT TYPES
EXPLOSIONS
FINITE DIFFERENCE METHOD
ITERATIVE METHODS
MATHEMATICS
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
PROGRESS REPORT
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS