Until the 1960s, nuclear tests were conducted above ground, creating the risk of radioactive fallout. Later agreements led to a move to underground testing that produces seismic waves detected by seismometers. But distinguishing these waves from natural earthquakes has proven difficult.
The ANU team, led by Dr Mark Hoggard, solved this problem by developing mathematical and statistical analysis of seismic data. This resulted in a significant increase in accuracy from 82% to 99% for the 140 known bombings in the United States.
The new method successfully classified all six North Korean tests conducted between 2006 and 2017, highlighting its effectiveness in real-world scenarios. Dr Hoggard highlights the potential of the technique to identify hidden tests, especially given the large number of earthquakes that can mask suspicious events.
In addition, the method has obvious advantages: it uses existing seismic data, eliminates the need for new and expensive equipment, and operates in near real time, allowing real-time monitoring.
Source: Ferra
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