Forensic view on two Raspberry Shake burglargrams

Area of Science:

• Seismology
• Citizen Science
• Explosion Analysis

Background:

• Citizen seismological networks are increasingly detecting man-made events.
• Criminal activities, such as explosions during ATM robberies, generate detectable seismic signals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze seismic data from two ATM bombing incidents.
• To characterize the seismic signatures of explosions used in criminal activities.
• To compare the explosive event patterns and estimate relative charge weights.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from Raspberry Shake (RS) seismological stations.
• Analyzed seismic waveforms and air pressure data from explosions.
• Calculated the ratio of explosion strengths based on seismic signatures.

Main Results:

• Recorded seismic effects of ATM explosions in Bonn-Röttgen and Kürten-Dürscheid.
• Identified a pattern of a larger explosion followed by a smaller one in both events.
• Estimated explosion strength ratios of 21:1 and 9.4:1 for the two incidents.

Conclusions:

• Citizen seismology stations can effectively record and analyze seismic signals from criminal explosions.
• Seismic signature analysis provides insights into the methods and relative explosive power used in ATM attacks.
• This data can assist law enforcement in understanding and investigating such criminal events.