Mine Blast at Silver Bell Mine, Arizona.
How can you tell the difference between an explosion and an earthquake on a seismogram?
Explosions and earthquakes both release a large amount of energy very quickly, and both can be recorded by seismic instruments. However, because the forces involved in each are very different, the waveforms that each creates look different.
Nuclear tests are very near the surface of the earth; all of the energy is released from a small volume surrounding the device. Earthquakes are typically several to many kilometers beneath the surface of the Earth; the energy is released from the fault surface, which can be several to many kilometers long, depending on the size of the fault. The differences in the depth and extent of the energy source produces differences in the waveforms that are recorded on a seismogram.
Lastly, nuclear explosions typically release energy between 2-50 kilotons of yield, compared to, for example, the M6.5 Afghanistan earthquake in May of 1998 that had an equivalent yield of 2,000 kilotons.
Related
Can nuclear explosions cause earthquakes?
A nuclear explosion can cause an earthquake and even an aftershock sequence. However, earthquakes induced by explosions have been much smaller than the explosion, and the aftershock sequence produces fewer and smaller aftershocks than a similar size earthquake. Not all explosions have caused earthquakes. The range of a possible earthquake triggered by an explosion is limited to a few tens of...
Can we use explosives to cause small earthquakes in order to prevent having large ones?
No. Even huge amounts of explosive almost never cause even small earthquakes, and it would take hundreds and thousands of small earthquakes to equal a large one, even if it could be done. In addition, we wouldn't have any control over the size of the earthquake being created if it worked, since small and large earthquakes all start out in exactly the same way. It's just not physically possible.
What is the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), and what is the role of seismology in monitoring it?
On September 10, 1996, the United Nations General Assembly voted 158-3 to approve a treaty prohibiting all nuclear tests. The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty has been signed by 130 nations - including the United States. President Clinton signed the agreement on September 24, 1996. Seismology is one of several fields which plays a role in monitoring the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Underground...
Mine Blast at Silver Bell Mine, Arizona
Mine Blast at Silver Bell Mine, Arizona.
View of the San Andreas Fault
View looking southeast along the surface trace of the San Andreas fault in the Carrizo Plain, north of Wallace Creek. Elkhorn Rd. meets the fault near the top of the photo.
View looking southeast along the surface trace of the San Andreas fault in the Carrizo Plain, north of Wallace Creek. Elkhorn Rd. meets the fault near the top of the photo.
Related
Can nuclear explosions cause earthquakes?
A nuclear explosion can cause an earthquake and even an aftershock sequence. However, earthquakes induced by explosions have been much smaller than the explosion, and the aftershock sequence produces fewer and smaller aftershocks than a similar size earthquake. Not all explosions have caused earthquakes. The range of a possible earthquake triggered by an explosion is limited to a few tens of...
Can we use explosives to cause small earthquakes in order to prevent having large ones?
No. Even huge amounts of explosive almost never cause even small earthquakes, and it would take hundreds and thousands of small earthquakes to equal a large one, even if it could be done. In addition, we wouldn't have any control over the size of the earthquake being created if it worked, since small and large earthquakes all start out in exactly the same way. It's just not physically possible.
What is the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), and what is the role of seismology in monitoring it?
On September 10, 1996, the United Nations General Assembly voted 158-3 to approve a treaty prohibiting all nuclear tests. The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty has been signed by 130 nations - including the United States. President Clinton signed the agreement on September 24, 1996. Seismology is one of several fields which plays a role in monitoring the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Underground...
Mine Blast at Silver Bell Mine, Arizona
Mine Blast at Silver Bell Mine, Arizona.
Mine Blast at Silver Bell Mine, Arizona.
View of the San Andreas Fault
View looking southeast along the surface trace of the San Andreas fault in the Carrizo Plain, north of Wallace Creek. Elkhorn Rd. meets the fault near the top of the photo.
View looking southeast along the surface trace of the San Andreas fault in the Carrizo Plain, north of Wallace Creek. Elkhorn Rd. meets the fault near the top of the photo.