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Title: High-resolution surface topographic change analyses to characterize a series of underground explosions

Journal Article · · Remote Sensing of Environment
ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [4];  [2];  [5];  [5]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  3. Coppersmith Consulting, Walnut Creek, CA (United States)
  4. Civil and Environmental Consultants Inc, Nashville, TN (United States)
  5. Mission Support and Test Services, LLC, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

The understanding of subsurface events that cannot be directly observed is dependent on the ability to relate surface-based observations to subsurface processes. This is particularly important for nuclear explosion monitoring, as any future clandestine tests will likely be underground. We collected ground-based lidar and optical imagery using remote, very-low-altitude unmanned aerial system platforms, before and after several underground high explosive experiments. For the lidar collections, we used a terrestrial lidar scanner to obtain high-resolution point clouds and create digital elevation models (DEMs). For the imagery collections, we used structure-from-motion photogrammetry techniques and a dense grid of surveyed ground control points to create high-resolution DEMs. Comparisons between the pre- and post-experiment DEMs indicate changes in surface topography that vary between explosive experiments with varying yield and depth parameters. Our work shows that the relationship between explosive yield and the extent of observable surface change differs from the standard scaled-depth-of-burial model. This suggests that the surface morphological change from underground high explosive experiments can help constrain the experiments' yield and depth, and may impact how such activities are monitored and verified.

Research Organization:
Nevada National Security Site/Mission Support and Test Services LLC (NNSS/MSTS), North Las Vegas, NV (United States); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation R&D (NA-22)
Grant/Contract Number:
NA0003624; SAND-2020-4478J; LA-UR-19-28786; DOE/NV/03624-0765; AC04-94AL85000; 89233218CNA000001; NA0003525; NA003624
OSTI ID:
1619901
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1634791; OSTI ID: 1639046; OSTI ID: 1645085; OSTI ID: 1734784
Report Number(s):
DOE/NV/03624-0765; SAND-2020-4478J; LA-UR-19-28786; SAND-2019-12105J; STIP WF - 20063570; TRN: US2205186
Journal Information:
Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 246; ISSN 0034-4257
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 4 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
Change detection
Unmanned aerial systems
Lidar
Underground explosions
Structure-from-motion
Nuclear explosion monitoring
Photogrammetry
change detection
unmanned aerial systems
lidar
underground explosions
structure-from-motion
nuclear explosion monitoring
photogrammetry
change detection
unmanned aerial systems
lidar
underground explosions
structure-from-motion
nuclear explosion monitoring