Data Release Report Source Physics Experiments 5 and 6 (SPE-5 and SPE-6), Nevada National Security Site
The fifth Source Physics Experiment test (SPE-5) was conducted in Nevada on April 26, 2016, at 20:49:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The explosive source was 4,288.7 kilograms (kg) of polymer-bonded explosive (PBXN) –110, equivalent to 5,035 kg of trinitrotoluene (TNT) detonated at a depth of 76.5 meters (m). The sixth Source Physics Experiment test (SPE-6) was conducted in Nevada on October 12, 2016 at 18:36:00 UTC. The explosive source was 1,982.2 kg of PBXC-141, equivalent to 2,240.2 kg of TNT detonated at the depth of 31.4 m. Both tests were recorded by an extensive set of instrumentation that includes sensors both at near-field (less than 100 m) and far-field (100 m or greater) distances. The near-field instruments consisted of three-component accelerometers installed at various depths ranging from 4 to 99 m below ground surface in boreholes positioned around the shot, and a set of single-component vertical accelerometers on the surface. The far-field network was composed of a variety of seismic and acoustic sensors, including short-period geophones, broadband seismometers, and three-component accelerometers at distances of 100 m to 400 kilometers. In addition, both explosions were recorded in a temporary array of 996 geophones arranged in a densely spaced grid pattern (“large N”). This report coincides with the release of these data for analysts and organizations that are not participants in this program. This report describes the fifth and sixth Source Physics Experiment tests and the various types of near-field and far-field data that are available.