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.