Infrasonic Monitoring
Infrasound signals are regular acoustic signals in that they are longitudinal pressure waves albeit at rather low frequency. Many researchers would place infrasound frequencies in the range of 0.1 to 10.0 Hertz, with corresponding wavelengths of 3,300 to 33 meters. As with most wave phenomena, absorption decreases with decreasing frequency and infrasound propagates well in the earth's atmosphere, with geometric loss dominating other losses. This makes infrasound useful in remote monitoring activity such as the CTBT International Monitoring System (IMS). Atmospheric explosions generate a wide spectrum of acoustic frequencies; those in the audible domain are absorbed in the atmosphere and do not propagate to large distance. Lower frequency components are also present, and these do propagate to great distance. As the yield of the explosion decreases, the acoustic energy is concentrated at higher frequency than that for higher yield sources.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Defense Programs (DP) (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 760050
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-95-2775; TRN: AH200031%%90
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 17th Annual Seismic Research Symposium on Monitoring a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, Scottsdale, AZ (US), 09/11/1995--09/15/1995; Other Information: PBD: 11 Sep 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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