Measuring underground-explosion effects on water levels in surrounding aquifers

Abstract

Underground detonations may produce observable effects in surrounding aquifers and wells. The nature and the duration of the effect at any observation point seem to depend on several factors such as the amount of energy released by the detonation, the geologic environment, the position of the buried explosive device in relation to the saturated zone, aquifer characteristics, and the distance from point of detonation. Precise measurement of these effects in wells presented numerous technical problems and resulted in the development of specialized techniques. Initially, these effects were observed by measuring the fluctuation of the free water surface in wells. The current technique employs high-resolution pressure transducers deep in the water column. Pneumatic packers may be used to restrict the movement of water into the well. Data are recorded on high-speed oscillographs.