New signatures of underground nuclear tests revealed by satellite radar interferometry

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Read Full Article (file size: 649117 bytes) Cited by GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 30, NO. 22, 2141, doi:10.1029/2003GL018179, 2003 New signatures of underground nuclear tests revealed by satellite radar interferometry Paul Vincent Geophysics and Global Security Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, USA Shawn Larsen Geophysics and Global Security Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, USA Devin Galloway Water Resources Division, California District, US Geological Survey, Sacramento, California, USA Randell J. Laczniak Water Resources Division, Nevada District, US Geological Survey, Henderson, Nevada, USA William R. Walter Geophysics and Global Security Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, USA William Foxall Geophysics and Global Security Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, USA John J. Zucca Geophysics and Global Security Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, USA Abstract New observations of surface displacement caused by past underground nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) are presented using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR). The InSAR data reveal both coseismic and postseismic subsidence signals that extend one kilometer or more across regardless of whether or not a surface crater was formed from each test. While surface craters and other coseismic surface effects (ground cracks, etc.) may be detectable using high resolution optical or other remote sensing techniques, these broader, more subtle subsidence signals (one to several centimeters distributed over an area 1–2 kilometers across) are not detectable using other methods [ Barker et al., 1998 ]. A time series of interferograms reveal that the postseismic signals develop and persist for months to years after the tests and that different rates and styles of deformation occur depending on the geologic and hydrologic setting and conditions of the local test area. Received 15 July 2003; accepted 15 September 2003; published 19 November 2003. Index Terms: 6309 Policy Sciences: Decision making under uncertainty; 6924 Radio Science: Interferometry; 7219 Seismology: Nuclear explosion seismology; 8040 Structural Geology: Remote sensing; 8045 Structural Geology: Role of fluids. Read Full Article (file size: 649117 bytes) Cited by Citation: Vincent, P., S. Larsen, D. Galloway, R. J. Laczniak, W. R. Walter, W. Foxall, and J. J. Zucca (2003), New signatures of underground nuclear tests revealed by satellite radar interferometry, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30(22), 2141, doi:10.1029/2003GL018179. Copyright 2003 by the American Geophysical Union.

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