Abstract
We report on a multi-technique analysis using publicly available data for investigating the huge, accidental explosion that struck the city of Beirut, Lebanon, on August 4, 2020. Its devastating shock wave led to thousands of injured with more than two hundred fatalities and caused immense damage to buildings and infrastructure. Our combined analysis of seismological, hydroacoustic, infrasonic and radar remote sensing data allows us to characterize the source as well as to estimate the explosive yield. The latter is determined within 0.13 to 2 kt TNT (kilotons of trinitrotoluene). This range is plausible given the reported 2.75 kt of ammonium nitrate as explosive source. As there are strict limitations for an on-site analysis of this catastrophic explosion, our presented approach based on data from open accessible global station networks and satellite missions is of high scientific and social relevance that furthermore is transferable to other explosions.
Highlights
The explosion that occurred in the city of Beirut, Lebanon, on the 4th of August 2020 around 18:08 local time (15:08 UTC) was caused by the combustion of approximately 2.75 kt of ammonium nitrate stored in a harbour warehouse, as announced by the government shortly afterwards
Hydroacoustic and acoustic signals propagated through solid earth, water and air, respectively, and were recorded at nearby land-based and ocean-bottom seismometers, which we present and exploit for our analysis in this paper
We find that the AFTAC and LANL (HWM14) relations correspond well in resulting maximum yields around 1 kt TNT but differ in range (0.86–1.47 kt TNT opposed to 0.22–1.35 kt TNT)
Summary
The explosion that occurred in the city of Beirut, Lebanon, on the 4th of August 2020 around 18:08 local time (15:08 UTC) was caused by the combustion of approximately 2.75 kt of ammonium nitrate stored in a harbour warehouse, as announced by the government shortly afterwards. This accident led to thousands of casualties with more than two hundred fatalities[1]. From before and after the explosion and link damage maps with overpressure caused by the explosion We analyse this combined dataset within the present study to benchmark origin time and epicentre of the event. We focus on a consistent yield estimate based on results from the different methods
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
