A Shock Wave Theory for the Generation of the Seismic Signal Around a Spherical Shot Hole

A bstract The shape of the seismic signal generated by an explosive charge is assumed to be governed by shock‐wave phenomena in a non‐linear region around the shot hole. The dimensions of this shock‐wave region are shown to depend on the weight of the explosive charge and the properties of the medium in which the shot is fired. The presented theory enables us to elucidate the power law relationship between the amplitude of the seismic pulse and the weight of the charge fired, in the literature often denoted by A = c.Q n , in which A is the pulse amplitude, Q the charge weight and c a constant. Experiments have been made to check the theory and the results are promising.