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99% Accurate detection of underground nuclear tests is now possible, now what?

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

99% Accurate detection of underground nuclear tests is now possible, now what? - Every so often we hear of some ‘rogue’ countries conducting nuclear tests…

How easy is it to hide atomic testing? How does seismic detection methods filter out earthquakes for example? If you detect a nuclear test, then what?

4ZZZ's Eliot Rifkin chatted about refined techniques in underground nuclear test detection with Dr Mark Hoggard from Australia National University’s Research School of Earth Sciences.

For a VERY deep dive...

Here's Mark Hoggard's website which has an overview of the detection of underground nuclear tests' study, as well as Mark's Bio page listing his articles/bibliography and for his 'Seismic moment tensor classification using elliptical distribution functions on the hypersphere' which goes into more depth. If you'd like to see the graphic illustrations of Moment Tensors which clearly shows diagrams of explosion versus earthquake seismic events or delve into the Nevada Atomic Test Site datasets.

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBO) website outlines current monitoring efforts and is responsible for the International Monitoring system.

The History of the Atomic Bomb

The Manhattan Project

Oppenheimer (2023) film's synopsis on the early Nevada atomic testing and ethics

Difference between types of Atomic bombs (Hydrogen, nuclear, etc)

List of Nuclear tests

Operation Crossroads - The 1946 Bikini Atoll Atomic test

Castle Bravo test (1954) - 1st in a series of USA high-yield thermonuclear weapon design tests in Bikini

Partial Test Ban Treaty which prohibits atomic tests in the atmosphere due to the concern of radiation fallout - permitting tests underground as well as which countries have ratified it

List of Nuclear Arms Treaties

Thorium based nuclear power - An alternative to uranium that is safer and can't be weaponised

...and finally, here's 2 recommended articles: 1) atomic tests carried out here in Australia and 2) a 'Conversation' article on the legacy of testing in the Pacific Islands.

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