The Upper Crustal Structure Under McMurdo Station, Antarctica, Deduced from Blasts During Nuclear Power Plant Removal

• Main Author: Kaminuma, Katsutada
• Language: English
• Published: 1979
• Subjects: McMurdo Station; Antarc*; Antarctica; Memoirs of National Institute of Polar Research; Polar Research
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/982/files/KJ00000011528.pdf

P(論文) The upper crustal structures beneath McMurdo Station, Antarctica are studied using reflected waves of blasts for dismantling the nuclear power plant in November and December of 1975. A three-seismograph network was installed near the Thiel Earth Sciences Laboratory, and reflected waves of four blasts out of many were successfully observed. As the distances between the blast points and seismographs were only 300 meters, refracted waves were not recorded. Though the velocities of seismic wave are not determined, the arrival times of clear phases of reflected waves are detected with high accuracy. The shortest travel time of reflected waves is approximately 0.7 seconds and thickness of the first layer is 1.2km if the P wave velocity of the layer is assumed to be 3.1km/s. The travel time of all the well-identified latest phase is 3.95 seconds. This study suggests the presence of five layers in the upper crust. departmental bulletin paper