Basic Research on Seismic and Infrasonic Monitoring of the European Arctic

reportActive / Technical Report | Accession Number: ADA569569 | Open PDF

Abstract:

This project is a research effort aimed at improving seismic and infrasonic monitoring tools at regional distances with emphasis on the European Arctic region, which includes the former Novaya Zemlya test site. The project has three main components a to improve seismic processing in this region using the regional seismic arrays installed in northern Europe, b to investigate the potential of using combined seismicinfrasonic processing to characterize events in this region and c to carry out experimental operation, evaluation and tuning of the seismic threshold monitoring technique. On 11 November 2009, signals from a magnitude 3.2 event in the eastern Barents Sea were recorded by seismic stations in the Nordic countries and in NW Russia. This part of the Barents Sea has no known history of significant earthquake activity. However, over the past decades, several seismic events at various locations in this region have been detected, and several of these have been confidently associated with anthropogenic activity, like the Kursk submarine accident. As to the source type of the 11 November 2009 event, we are not in a position to draw a firm conclusion. Observations at the ARCES array, at a distance of 800 km, show signal energy up to 40 Hz and show no indication of spectral banding or cepstral peaks. This is quite different from the characteristics of underwater explosions in this area, suggesting that the event is more likely to be an earthquake. This study further illustrates the very efficient high-frequency seismic energy propagation characteristics of the Barents Sea area. Seismic and infrasound signals at ARCES have recently been associated with blasting at the Suurikuusikko gold mine in northern Finland, approximately 10 km to the west of Hukkakero. This mine started operations in the summer of 2006 and, in order to develop a database of explosions, multi-channel waveform correlation detectors were initiated using ARCES seismic signals as templates.

Author(s):
Ringdal, Frode ; Kvaerna, Tormod ; Gibbons, Steven J. ; Mykkeltveit, Svein ; Schweitzer, Johannes
Author Organization(s):
NORSAR KJELLER (NORWAY)
Descriptive Note:
Conference paper
Supplementary Note:
Published in Proceedings of the 2010 Monitoring Research Review - Ground-Based Nuclear Explosion Monitoring Technologies, 21-23 September 2010, Orlando, FL. Volume II. Sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). U.S. Government or Federal Rights License
Pagination:
0012

Security Markings

DOCUMENT & CONTEXTUAL SUMMARY

Distribution:
Approved For Public Release
Distribution Statement:
Approved For Public Release; Distribution Is Unlimited.

RECORD

Collection: TR
Identifying Numbers
Contract/Grant Number(s):
W9113M-05-C-0224
Monitor Series:
USASMDC
 Subject Terms
Joint Capability Areas:
JCA_6_Net Centric; JCA_8_Building Partnerships; JCA_6.3.3_Spectrum Management; JCA_8.1_Communicate; JCA_5_Command and Control; JCA_1_Force Support; JCA_3_Force Application; JCA_6.1_Information Transport; JCA_5.3_Planning; JCA_6.3_Net Management; JCA_1.2_Force Preparation; JCA_3.1.3_Maneuver to Influence; JCA_3.1_Maneuver; JCA_8.1.2_Persuade Partner Audiences; JCA_8.1.3_Influence Adversary and Competitor Audiences
Communities of Interest:
Weapons Technologies
Descriptor(s):
*SEISMIC DETECTION, ARCTIC REGIONS, EUROPE, INFRASOUND, MONITORING
Field(s)/Group(s):
Seismic Detection and Detectors, Acoustics
Keyword(s):
EUROPEAN ARCTIC REGION, SEISMIC EVENTS
Report Date:
2010 Sep 01
Creation Date:
2013 Mar 04