A new study has shown that certain seismic events coincided with the sudden loss of pressure of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in September 2022.
While the cause of the pipeline rupture is still being investigated, it is suspected that it was due to an act of sabotage, where explosive charges were used to breach the pipeline.
Researchers have found that some seismic signals coincided with the event and that the duration of these events was longer than you would expect from a single explosive source. At this point in time, the seismic events seem more similar to an eruption of an underwater volcano or a natural gas pipeline venting gas.
The researchers theorize that due to the long-lasting seismic and infrasonic events, the likely culprit is vibrations from high-pressure gas being vented into the surrounding water.
According to Ross Heyburn of AWE Blacknest:
“May be dominated by energy generated by the rapid venting of high-pressure gas, which means it may be difficult to assess the source size and characteristics of any explosive charges used to rupture the Nord Stream pipelines…To the best of our knowledge, this was the first time that the IMS has recorded signals from an underwater event associated with a gas pipeline rupture…The events therefore provided an opportunity to observe the characteristics of signals, such as the long durations, generated by this type of source.”
