ATOM BOMB FOR RESEARCH

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27987, 6 June 1956, Page 9

ATOM BOMB FOR RESEARCH

STUDY OF EARTH’S STRUCTURE USE PLANNED BY SEISMOLOGISTS “The Press” Special Service AUCKLAND, June 5. The first use of the atom bomb for non-miltary purposes is being planned by seismologists. They hope to- explode a series of bombs in different parts of the world as part of their experiments for determining the composition of the earth’s structure. ' Professor K. E. Bullen, formerly of Auckland, and now professor of applied mathematics at Sydney University, who is also president of the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Interior of the Earth, is in charge of the project. He said on his arrival in Auckland from the United States that he had approached scientists in several different countries about it.

Tenative proposals were to explode a bomb off the coast of Australia sufficiently far away not to worry anybody, one in Russia, and one in an

area to be chosen«by the Americans. It would be valuable, said Professor Bullen, to explode the third bomb, or even a fourth •one, well into the centre of the Pacific as seismologists did not know much about that area.

It was fairly obvious that the explosions would not occur for at least a year, he said. Anything done would have to be utterly concerned with all aspects of human welfare. Some scientists criticised the proposal on biological grounds and a small number on moral grounds. The latter maintained that if the atom bomb was evil for military purposes it was evil for all purposes.

Professor Bullen said seismologists thought that if countries co-operated the project would be a good basis for having the atom bomb used for jjeace. The effect of such an explosion 'would be a controlled earthquake sending waves to the centre of the earth and back again so that they could be recorded. The natural earthquake was too limited for the purpose of seismologists.

“We realise,” said Professor Bullen, “that seismologists are not the only people* concerned * with this, so it will be well scrutinised. We just hope that opinion will be to accept 'what we think is an invaluable trend in seismological research.” Other scientists had said they could turn the experiment to advantage. They included meteorologists and people interested in the shape of the crater formations. One.country was in-

terested in blowing the top off an Antarctic island to use it for an observatory, said Professor Bullen.