Multicomponent recordings of P-wave groups from 4 underwater explosions in the Baltic Shield are processed to study the possibility of utilizing the particle motion in the interpretation of records from near events. Several of the phases predicted by a crustal model for the area could be found and identified by correlating the vertical with the radial component and by calculating the incidence angle. Phases probably originating from below the Moho were also detected. Although some of these impulses could be observed in the original traces, they could not be identified without knowledge of the source and travel times. It is concluded that the reliability of the detection and identifi-cation of phases can be increased by taking the correlation of the vertical and radial components and by calculating the incidence angle.