Apparent Explosion Moments from Rg Waves Recorded on SPE

Larmat, Carene; Rougier, Esteban; Patton, Howard John

doi:10.1785/0120160163

Title: Apparent Explosion Moments from Rg Waves Recorded on SPE

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Abstract

Seismic moments for the first four chemical tests making up phase I of the Source Physics Experiments (SPE) are estimated from 6-Hz Rg waves recorded along a single radial line of geophones under the assumption that the tests are pure explosions. These apparent explosion moments are compared with moments determined from the reduced displacement potential method applied to free-field data. Light detection and ranging (lidar) observations, strong ground motions on the free surface in the vicinity of ground zero, and moment tensor inversion results are evidence that the fourth test SPE-4P is a pure explosion, and the moments show good agreement, 8×10¹⁰ N·m for free-field data versus 9×10¹⁰ N·m for Rg waves. In stark contrast, apparent moments for the first three tests are smaller than near-field moments by factors of 3–4. Relative amplitudes for the three tests determined from Rg interferometry using SPE-4P as an empirical Green’s function indicate that radiation patterns are cylindrically symmetric within a factor of 1.25 (25%). This fact assures that the apparent moments are reliable even though they were measured on just one azimuth. Spallation occurred on the first three tests, and ground-based lidar detected permanent deformations. As such, the source medium suffered late-time damage.more »« less

Authors:

Larmat, Carene ^[1]; Rougier, Esteban ^[1]; Patton, Howard John ^[1]

Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Publication Date:: Tue Nov 29 00:00:00 EST 2016

Research Org.:: Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

OSTI Identifier:: 1340932

Alternate Identifier(s):: OSTI ID: 1340935

Report Number(s):: LA-UR-16-23616; LA-UR-16-27115
Journal ID: ISSN 0037-1106

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-06NA25396; AC52-06NA25946

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 107; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 0037-1106

Publisher:: Seismological Society of America

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 58 GEOSCIENCES; 47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION; Interferometry, explosion, seismic sources, Rg wave, apparent moment, late-damage; Rg waves, interferometry, source physics, explosions, Source Physics Experiment

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                    Larmat, Carene, Rougier, Esteban, and Patton, Howard John. Apparent Explosion Moments from Rg Waves Recorded on SPE.  United States: N. p., 2016. 
Web.  doi:10.1785/0120160163.

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                    Larmat, Carene, Rougier, Esteban, & Patton, Howard John. Apparent Explosion Moments from Rg Waves Recorded on SPE.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1785/0120160163

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                    Larmat, Carene, Rougier, Esteban, and Patton, Howard John. Tue .  
"Apparent Explosion Moments from Rg Waves Recorded on SPE".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1785/0120160163.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1340932.

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@article{osti_1340932,

  title        = {Apparent Explosion Moments from Rg Waves Recorded on SPE},

  author       = {Larmat, Carene and Rougier, Esteban and Patton, Howard John},

  abstractNote = {Seismic moments for the first four chemical tests making up phase I of the Source Physics Experiments (SPE) are estimated from 6-Hz Rg waves recorded along a single radial line of geophones under the assumption that the tests are pure explosions. These apparent explosion moments are compared with moments determined from the reduced displacement potential method applied to free-field data. Light detection and ranging (lidar) observations, strong ground motions on the free surface in the vicinity of ground zero, and moment tensor inversion results are evidence that the fourth test SPE-4P is a pure explosion, and the moments show good agreement, 8×1010 N·m for free-field data versus 9×1010 N·m for Rg waves. In stark contrast, apparent moments for the first three tests are smaller than near-field moments by factors of 3–4. Relative amplitudes for the three tests determined from Rg interferometry using SPE-4P as an empirical Green’s function indicate that radiation patterns are cylindrically symmetric within a factor of 1.25 (25%). This fact assures that the apparent moments are reliable even though they were measured on just one azimuth. Spallation occurred on the first three tests, and ground-based lidar detected permanent deformations. As such, the source medium suffered late-time damage. In conclusion, destructive interference between Rg waves radiated by explosion and damage sources will reduce amplitudes and explain why apparent moments are smaller than near-field moments based on compressional energy emitted directly from the source.},

  doi          = {10.1785/0120160163},

  journal      = {Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America},

  number       = 1,

  volume       = 107,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Tue Nov 29 00:00:00 EST 2016},

  month        = {Tue Nov 29 00:00:00 EST 2016}

}

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