@article{ref1,
title="Delayed signatures of underground nuclear explosions",
journal="Scientific reports",
year="2016",
author="Carrigan, Charles R. and Sun, Yunwei and Hunter, Steven L. and Ruddle, David G. and Wagoner, Jeffrey L. and Myers, Katherine B. L. and Emer, Dudley F. and Drellack, Sigmund L. and Chipman, Veraun D.",
volume="6",
number="",
pages="e23032-e23032",
abstract="Radionuclide signals from underground nuclear explosions (UNEs) are strongly influenced by the surrounding hydrogeologic regime. One effect of containment is delay of detonation-produced radioxenon reaching the surface as well as lengthening of its period of detectability compared to uncontained explosions. Using a field-scale tracer experiment, we evaluate important transport properties of a former UNE site. We observe the character of signals at the surface due to the migration of gases from the post-detonation chimney under realistic transport conditions. Background radon signals are found to be highly responsive to cavity pressurization suggesting that large local radon anomalies may be an indicator of a clandestine UNE. Computer simulations, using transport properties obtained from the experiment, track radioxenon isotopes in the chimney and their migration to the surface. They show that the chimney surrounded by a fractured containment regime behaves as a leaky chemical reactor regarding its effect on isotopic evolution introducing a dependence on nuclear yield not previously considered. This evolutionary model for radioxenon isotopes is validated by atmospheric observations of radioxenon from a 2013 UNE in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Our model produces results similar to isotopic observations with nuclear yields being comparable to seismic estimates.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2045-2322",
doi="10.1038/srep23032",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep23032"
}