Abstract
<p>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 ranges between 0.8 and 1.1 kt TNT (kilotons of trinitrotoluene) equivalent and is plausible given the reported 2.75 kt of ammonium nitrate as explosive source. Data from the International Monitoring System of the CTBTO are used for infrasound array detections. Seismometer data from GEOFON and IRIS complement the source characterization based on seismic and acoustic signal recordings, which propagated in solid earth, water and air. Copernicus Sentinel data serve for radar remote sensing and damage estimation. As there are strict limitations for an on-site analysis of this catastrophic explosion, our presented approach based on openly accessible data from global station networks and satellite missions is of high scientific and social relevance that furthermore is transferable to other explosions.</p>
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
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)
The lowest yield estimate of 0.13 kt TNT is given by the seismic body wave analysis and the largest yield estimate of up to 2 kt TNT stems from relating reported damage and an InSAR damage proxy to peak overpressure
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
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