HR: 0800h
AN: S11B-1027    [Abstracts]
TI: Source Phenomenology Experiment in Arizona: Amplitude Decay of Regional Phases as a Function of Distance Between Hard and Soft Rock Mines
AU: * Zeiler, C
EM: cpzeiler@utep.edu
AF: University of Texas at El Paso, 500 University Ave., El Paso, TX 79902 United States
AU: Velasco, A
EM: aavelasco@utep.edu
AF: University of Texas at El Paso, 500 University Ave., El Paso, TX 79902 United States
AB: Monitoring for small nuclear explosions remains of critical importance to the nation, especially with the potential proliferation of nuclear weapons. However, monitoring for small explosions becomes complicated due to complex Earth structure, which may mask the signals generated by small explosions. Nuclear explosions can be simulated from chemical explosions, and this simulation can aid us in understanding the source phenomenology of small nuclear explosions. The first step we take to characterize the phenomenology is to study the amplitude decay of regional phases with respect to distance. A data set of single-fired, contained explosions and delay-fired explosions (production mining explosions) in both hard and soft rock mines were collected in Arizona over the summer of 2003. The varying geology of the two mines helps us determine a unique and robust criterion to distinguish the two sources. Since, similar signals are produced at each mine, but traveling in opposite directions we can compare the two different signatures and infer more accurate propagation parameters that identify between the two sources. The soft rock mine is situated in NE Arizona on the Colorado Plateau and is a coalmine. From the Colorado Plateau, the station profile follows a southern trend through the transition zone of the Colorado Plateau into Basin and Range tectonics, and has significant topography variations exist along the profile. The hard rock mine sits in the Basin and Range province of SE Arizona and produces copper. The station spacing was 3 km for the near source and extended to 40 km for the center of the station profile, with respect to both of the mines. All of the shots were varied in configuration. We will correct each shot's amplitude for station and site effects, using the coda amplification factor. The amplitude will then be calculated for both body and surface waves. We will then compare the amplitude decays with distance for all shots.
DE: 7219 Nuclear explosion seismology
DE: 5144 Wave attenuation
DE: 7203 Body wave propagation
SC: Seismology [S]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting