The need of inhomogeneous models to explain the seismograms of 2 explosions

On November 23, 2003 and May 20, 2007 two 500 kg bombs from the 2nd World War were exploded in an open quarry close to Milan. Velocimetric registrations at 2.5 km and 1.4 km from the epicentre for the 2003 and 2007 explosions respectively, showed a nearly monochromatic P-wave train with an approximate frequency of 10 Hz for both explosions and an elliptical prograde motion. The maximum P-wave amplitude, recorded on the vertical component of the 2003 explosion, was 125 10-6 m/sec. The PGV was slightly less than the record of the 2007 explosion, despite the lower epicentral distance. Both the stations were situated in a quaternary deposit. We were not able to model the unusual readings using ordinary synthetic seismogram techniques, instead we found that the inhomogeneous wave propagation model (Borcherdt, 2009) fitted quite well for these results. The analysis showed that a moderate variation of QP didn't significantly change the tilt angle (between the propagation vector P and the ellipse of motion major axis). Also the difference between homogeneous and inhomogeneous P wave velocity was not notable, but the QP variation had a strong implication on the degree of inhomogeneity. The ? angle (between P vector and the attenuation vector A) reached ? =76° for QP=20 and 58° for QP=8.