Seismic Verification of Underground Explosions

Abstract

Bans or limitations on nuclear weapons tests are one of the many types of arms control measures that have been attempted over the years. The first nuclear test agreement, the test moratorium, was made in 1958 and lasted until the Soviet Union unilaterally resumed testing in the atmosphere in 1961. It was followed by the Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963, which prohibited nuclear tests in the atmosphere, in outer space, and underwater. In 1974 the Threshold Test Ban Treaty (TTBT) was signed. This treaty limited underground tests after March 1976 to a maximum yield of 250 kilotons (kt). The TTBT was followed by a treaty limiting peaceful nuclear explosions and, although neither of these was ever ratified by the U.S. Senate, both the United States and the Soviet Union claim to be abiding by the 150-kt yield limit. A comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT), prohibiting all testing of nuclear weapons, has also been discussed and there is widespread public interest in this idea. However, a verifiable CTBT is a contradiction in terms. No monitoring technology can offer absolute assurance that very-low-yield illicit explosions have not occurred.KeywordsBlast WaveNuclear ExplosionLawrence Livermore National LaboratorySalt DomeNuclear Weapon TestThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.