Russian meteor blast heard around the world
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Explosion at a London oil depot in December 2005 recorded at infrasound station IS26 in Freyung, Germany
Configuration of array element with pipe structures to reduce wind noise
A visual representation of the infrasound waves and computer attributes from the fireball recorded by the CTBTO station in Kazakhstan
17 infrasound stations detected the infrasonic waves from the meteor that broke up over Russia’s Ural mountains
Sources of infrasound
Infrasound station IS21, Marquesas Islands, France
Arrays of infrasound station IS49, Tristan da Cunha, United Kingdom
Inlet ports of noise reducing pipe array at infrasound station IS07, Warramunga, Australia
Anak Krakatau – the child of Krakatoa
Infrasound monitoring station in Qaanaaq, Greenland
Article Summary
When the Chelyabinsk meteor exploded high over Russia on February 15, it was a blast heard around the world. This isn't just a figure of speech. Though too low-frequency for human hearing, sound waves from the 500-kiloton detonation of the 17-meter (56-ft) rock were picked up in Antarctica – some 15,000 km (9,320 miles) away – by 17 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) infrasound stations dedicated to detecting nuclear explosions above or below ground.
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