scholarly journals EXPLOSIVE SEISMIC SOURCES FOR THE MOON

Geophysics ◽  
1970 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Kovach ◽  
Thomas J. Ahrens

The coupling of seismic energy under vacuum conditions, such as the moon, using an untamped surface charge is different from coupling in air. In vacuum, the explosive gas blast and the detonation products continuously expand outward and interact with the solid surface. A series of model experiments was performed to investigate the effect of vacuum on coupling seismic energy. HNS charges of 0.2 gm each were detonated in contact with a plate and block of acrylic plastic in vacuum and in air. The amplitudes of the first and second arrivals (longitudinal and shear plate wave) are about 50 percent greater in vacuum than in air because the plate velocity (∼2.4 km/sec) more closely matches the gas‐blast velocity (∼3.5 to 7.5 km/sec) than the sound‐wave velocity (∼0.35 km/sec). When the charges are detonated in contact with the block to generate direct body waves, little difference is noted in the first arrival amplitudes in air and vacuum; suspending the charge one charge‐diameter above the surface produces about 25 percent lower first amplitudes in a vacuum. Large scale experiments were also performed in air to examine the effect of the detonation configuration on seismic coupling.

2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haifeng Huang

AbstractFor a long time, since China’s opening to the outside world in the late 1970s, admiration for foreign socioeconomic prosperity and quality of life characterized much of the Chinese society, which contributed to dissatisfaction with the country’s development and government and a large-scale exodus of students and emigrants to foreign countries. More recently, however, overestimating China’s standing and popularity in the world has become a more conspicuous feature of Chinese public opinion and the social backdrop of the country’s overreach in global affairs in the last few years. This essay discusses the effects of these misperceptions about the world, their potential sources, and the outcomes of correcting misperceptions. It concludes that while the world should get China right and not misinterpret China’s intentions and actions, China should also get the world right and have a more balanced understanding of its relationship with the world.


1980 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 1759-1770
Author(s):  
Kris Kaufman ◽  
L. J. Burdick

abstract The largest swarm of earthquakes of the last few decades accompanied the collapse of the Fernandina caldera in the Galapagos Islands in June of 1968. Many of the events were relatively large. (The largest 21 had moments ranging from 6 ×1024 to 12 ×1024 dyne-cm.) They produced teleseismic WWSSN records that were spectacularly consistent from event to event. The entire wave trains of the signals were nearly identical on any given component at any given station. This indicates that the mode of strain release in the region was unusually stable and coherent. The body waveforms of the events have been modeled with synthetic seismograms. The best fault plane solution was found to be: strike = 335°, dip = 47°, and rake = 247°. The depths of all the larger shocks were close to 14 km. Previous work had suggested that the seismic energy was radiated by the collapsing caldera block at a depth of about 1 km. The new results indicate that large scale extensional faulting at depth was an important part of the multifaceted event during which the caldera collapsed.


Author(s):  
Wenfeng Zheng ◽  
Xiaolu Li ◽  
Lirong Yin ◽  
Zhengtong Yin ◽  
Bo Yang ◽  
...  

Due to the growing frequency of earthquakes, safeties of human lives and properties are facing serious threats. However, the research in the field of spatial-temporal distribution of earthquake is quite a few. In this paper, we use wavelet model to analyze the spatial-temporal distribution of earthquakes. Because the spatial-temporal distribution of earthquake activity is closely related to the distribution of the earthquake fault zone, we analyze large-scale earthquake clusters by selecting the Eurasia seismic belt and the surrounding region as the research area. From the perspective of the time domain, the results show that the seismic energy of the earthquake fault zone presences compact support or similar compact support distribution, suggesting that the seismic zone exists a relatively quiet period and active stage. This indicate that the seismic zone is periodical. The period of strong earthquakes above normal and less than normal is different by time changes. The cycles of earthquakes are different due to different regions and different geological and geographical environment.


1997 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Drakatos ◽  
G. Karantonis ◽  
G. N. Stavrakakis

The three-dimensional velocity structure of the crust in the Aegean sea and the surrounding regions (34.0º-42.OºN, 19.0ºE-29.0ºE) is investigated by inversion of about 10000 residuals of arrival times of P-wave from local events. The resulting velocity structure shows strong horizontal variations due to the complicated crustal structure and the variations of crustal thickness. The northern part of the region generally shows high velocities. In the inner part of the volcanic arc (Southern Aegean area), relatively low velocities are observed, suggesting a large-scale absorption of seismic energy as confirmed by the low seismicity of the region. A low velocity zone was observed along the subduction zone of the region, up to a depth of 4 km. The existence of such a zone could be due to granitic or other intrusions in the crust during the uplift of the region during Alpidic orogenesis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 635 ◽  
pp. A156
Author(s):  
K. G. Strassmeier ◽  
I. Ilyin ◽  
E. Keles ◽  
M. Mallonn ◽  
A. Järvinen ◽  
...  

Context. Observations of the Earthshine off the Moon allow for the unique opportunity to measure the large-scale Earth atmosphere. Another opportunity is realized during a total lunar eclipse which, if seen from the Moon, is like a transit of the Earth in front of the Sun. Aims. We thus aim at transmission spectroscopy of an Earth transit by tracing the solar spectrum during the total lunar eclipse of January 21, 2019. Methods. Time series spectra of the Tycho crater were taken with the Potsdam Echelle Polarimetric and Spectroscopic Instrument (PEPSI) at the Large Binocular Telescope in its polarimetric mode in Stokes IQUV at a spectral resolution of 130 000 (0.06 Å). In particular, the spectra cover the red parts of the optical spectrum between 7419–9067 Å. The spectrograph’s exposure meter was used to obtain a light curve of the lunar eclipse. Results. The brightness of the Moon dimmed by 10.m75 during umbral eclipse. We found both branches of the O2 A-band almost completely saturated as well as a strong increase of H2O absorption during totality. A pseudo O2 emission feature remained at a wavelength of 7618 Å, but it is actually only a residual from different P-branch and R-branch absorptions. It nevertheless traces the eclipse. The deep penumbral spectra show significant excess absorption from the Na I 5890-Å doublet, the Ca II infrared triplet around 8600 Å, and the K I line at 7699 Å in addition to several hyper-fine-structure lines of Mn I and even from Ba II. The detections of the latter two elements are likely due to an untypical solar center-to-limb effect rather than Earth’s atmosphere. The absorption in Ca II and K I remained visible throughout umbral eclipse. Our radial velocities trace a wavelength dependent Rossiter-McLaughlin effect of the Earth eclipsing the Sun as seen from the Tycho crater and thereby confirm earlier observations. A small continuum polarization of the O2 A-band of 0.12% during umbral eclipse was detected at 6.3σ. No line polarization of the O2 A-band, or any other spectral-line feature, is detected outside nor inside eclipse. It places an upper limit of ≈0.2% on the degree of line polarization during transmission through Earth’s atmosphere and magnetosphere.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 1886-1911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasios Tsiavos ◽  
Anastasios Sextos ◽  
Andreas Stavridis ◽  
Matt Dietz ◽  
Luiza Dihoru ◽  
...  

This study presents a large-scale experimental investigation on the seismic performance of an innovative, low-cost seismic isolation system for developing countries. It is based on the beneficial effect of the encapsulation of sand grains between two PVC surfaces on the initiation of sliding and the dissipation of seismic energy between the surfaces. A three-times scaled-down, idealized, seismically isolated model of a prototype single-story structure located in Nepal is subjected to an ensemble of recorded earthquake ground motion excitations. The experimentally derived response of the seismically isolated structure is compared with the response of the corresponding fixed-base structure. This system is part of a wider hybrid design approach where the structure is designed to resist the seismic forces at the design acceleration level. The seismic isolation system sets an upper bound to the response of the structure for ground motion excitations exceeding the design level.


Geophysics ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 365-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton W. Kepic ◽  
Michael Maxwell ◽  
R. Don Russell

An underground test of a seismoelectric prospecting method for massive sulfides was performed at the Mobrun Mine (Rouyn‐Noranda, Quebec) in June 1991. The method is based upon the conversion of seismic energy to high‐frequency pulses of electromagnetic radiation by sulfide minerals. The delay between shot detonation and detection of the electromagnetic radiation gives a one‐way traveltime for the acoustic wave to reach the zone of seismoelectric conversion, which when combined with P‐wave velocity allows the shot‐to‐ore zone distance to be calculated. A 0.22-kg explosive charge located within 50 m of the orebody provided the seismic excitation, and the resulting electromagnetic emissions were received by electric dipole and induction‐coil antennas. First‐arrival information from a 35‐shot survey above an orebody, the 1100 lens, provides firm evidence that short duration pulses of electromagnetic radiation are produced by the passage of acoustic waves through the orebody. The survey also demonstrated that seismoelectric conversions could be induced at shot‐to‐orebody distances of 50 m and detected at distances of up to 150 m from the orebody. Areas of seismoelectric conversion are highlighted in sections produced by plotting the position of seismic wavefronts during signal reception. The sections show anomalies that correlate with the known structure and location of the orebody and demonstrate the potential of using this seismoelectric phenomenon as an exploration tool.


1960 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
René Millon

AbstractThe problem of the age of the pyramids of the Sun and Moon at Teotihuacán is considered in the light of evidence from an extensive and hitherto unreported Tzacualli or Teotihuacán I occupation to the northwest of the Pyramid of the Moon. Material from a small excavation in this new zone is commented upon briefly. Previous analyses of the age of the pyramids are discussed in the context of the new evidence, the conclusion being that the Pyramid of the Sun and probably also the Pyramid of the Moon were built in the earliest phase of the occupation of Teotihuacán rather than later as commonly assumed. The relationships of the Tzacualli phase to other sites in the Valley of Mexico are discussed and it is concluded that the pyramids were probably built in about the last century before Christ or earlier. Since the building of these enormous pyramids implies a relatively complex level of social integration, this new level must have come into being some several hundred years or more before the building of the pyramids unless a large-scale migration was involved. For this it is contended there is no good evidence. Linné's new chronological placement of Tlamimilolpa before Xolalpan rather than after is discussed. Comments are made on the significance of this reversal of chronology for the growth of the city and for the expansion of its “influence” to other parts of Mesoamerica.


The major factors in the evolution of the lunar surface have not been determined yet. Huge lava flows and lunar differentiation, though commonly assumed, is in discord with much of the evidence. The alternative is for most of the surface to represent the last stages of accretion of the Moon only, with the chemical differentiation having taken place previously in the source material. Radar, seismic, surface exposure, and mascon evidence can then be accounted for. A large-scale surface transport mechanism of soil must then have been present.


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