Current Status and Future Development of Geophysical Techniques for CTBT On-site Inspections

Significant portion of 17 CTBT permitted techniques for use during an on-site inspection are the geophysical techniques, both seismic and non-seismic. While passive seismological monitoring for aftershocks can be utilized during the whole on-site inspection, other techniques like resonance seismometry, active seismic surveys, magnetic and gravitational field mapping and electrical conductivity measurements can be applied only during continuation and extension periods, respectively. The purpose of use of the geophysical techniques varies. Passive seismological monitoring can contribute to narrowing down the search area. Other techniques contribute to the site characterization. Depth penetration varies as well. Shallow techniques can help to identify man made artifacts. Deeper techniques can contribute to the identification and characterization of the potential place of treaty violation. Integrated field exercise in Hashemite Kingdom Jordan in 2014 (IFE14) allowed to test most of the geophysical techniques in an integrated manner together with other on-site inspection techniques. This presentation will show some examples of the use of the geophysical techniques during IFE14 and will also present path forward for their development to increase their capability for on-site inspection.