Ground motion from earthquakes and underground nuclear weapons tests: a comparison as it relates to siting a nuclear waste storage facility at NTS
Ground motion generated by a magnitude 4.3 earthquake at Massachusetts Mountain on the Nevada Test Site was measured at the control point and compared with ground motion generated at about the same distance by four underground nuclear weapons tests. The depth of the earthquake was between 4 and 4.6 km. The resulting signal at the distance considered was almost entirely body-wave components and had little or no contribution from the surface wave. The motion from the relatively shallower weapons tests had a signal with a pronounced surface-wave component. Comparison of the Pseudo Relative Response Velocity (PSRV) plots shows the earthquake signal richer in high frequencies and the weapons-test signals richer in low frequencies. If relationship between ground motion from the two sources can be confirmed for other earthquakes, weapons test ground motion could be used to estimate earthquake ground motion for magnitudes for which probability of occurrence in a given montoring period would be very small.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 59451
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-81-2214; ON: DE82011784
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: DN: Portions of document are illegible. MN only; PBD: Jan 1982
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Analysis of component surface/downhole ground motions at Yucca Mountain for underground nuclear explosions in Pahute Mesa
Prediction of ground motion from underground nuclear weapons tests as it relates to siting of a nuclear waste storage facility at NTS and compatibility with the weapons test program