Analysis of local seismo-acoustic events in the Korean Peninsula

Abstract

In order to discriminate between man-made explosions and earthquakes, a preliminary seismo-acoustic analysis was performed in the Korean Peninsula from August 1999 to December 2000. During this time, 202 seismo-acoustic events were identified as blasts. These events were concentrated in specific regions: a rock quarry, an open-pit mine and a construction site, which were identified by field survey. All of these events occurred within 200 km of a seismo-acoustic array. We applied ray-tracing methods to the atmosphere using local meteorological observations to understand the short-distance propagation characteristics of infrasonic signals. Calculated infrasonic traveltime using a local meteorological model fits well with observed traveltime from a quarry. Local winds make possible infrasonic wave ducts in the lower atmosphere, and allow infrasonic wave arrival at short distances. Ray tracing using a local meteorological model has been used for the association between seismic and infrasonic signals.