Operation Nougat[1] was a series of 44 nuclear tests conducted (with one exception) at the Nevada Test Site in 1961 and 1962, immediately after the Soviet Union abrogated a testing moratorium, with the US' Mink test shot taking place the day before the Soviets test-detonated the Tsar Bomba. Most tests were limited-yield underground test shots.[2] New designs would be further developed in atmospheric testing during Operation Dominic I and II.
Antler was the first shot fired as part of the resumption of nuclear testing by the United States. Fired 15 September 1961, containment was immediately lost when the shot vented via the tunnel portal, destroying much of the test data. This was a recurring problem for tunnel tests of the era. The problem was thought to be caused by water above the blast zone draining into the explosion cavity where it was vaporised and escaped as steam.[3]
Shrew
Shrew was the first Los Alamos test after the resumption of testing. The device was buried to a depth of 325ft (99m) in a canister 32.5ft (9.9m) long. The shaft was 32in (810mm) wide, lined with 0.5in (12+1⁄2mm) steel, and backfilled with sand to above the canister and concrete to the surface. Post-test, some radioactivity was detected by sampling aircraft.[4]
Project Gnome, fired in salt dome, cavity formed was 170ft (52m) in diameter, and 80ft (24m) high, some radioactivity accidentally released and detected off-site. Shaft drilled 341m (1,119ft) to SW.
↑ The US, France and Great Britain have code-named their test events, while the USSR and China did not, and therefore have only test numbers (with some exceptions – Soviet peaceful explosions were named). Word translations into English in parentheses unless the name is a proper noun. A dash followed by a number indicates a member of a salvo event. The US also sometimes named the individual explosions in such a salvo test, which results in "name1 – 1(with name2)". If test is canceled or aborted, then the row data like date and location discloses the intended plans, where known.
↑ To convert the UT time into standard local, add the number of hours in parentheses to the UT time; for local daylight saving time, add one additional hour. If the result is earlier than 00:00, add 24 hours and subtract 1 from the day; if it is 24:00 or later, subtract 24 hours and add 1 to the day. Historical time zone data obtained from the IANA time zone database.
↑ Rough place name and a latitude/longitude reference; for rocket-carried tests, the launch location is specified before the detonation location, if known. Some locations are extremely accurate; others (like airdrops and space blasts) may be quite inaccurate. "~" indicates a likely pro-forma rough location, shared with other tests in that same area.
↑ Elevation is the ground level at the point directly below the explosion relative to sea level; height is the additional distance added or subtracted by tower, balloon, shaft, tunnel, air drop or other contrivance. For rocket bursts the ground level is "N/A". In some cases it is not clear if the height is absolute or relative to ground, for example, Plumbbob/John. No number or units indicates the value is unknown, while "0" means zero. Sorting on this column is by elevation and height added together.
↑ Atmospheric, airdrop, balloon, gun, cruise missile, rocket, surface, tower, and barge are all disallowed by the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Sealed shaft and tunnel are underground, and remained useful under the PTBT. Intentional cratering tests are borderline; they occurred under the treaty, were sometimes protested, and generally overlooked if the test was declared to be a peaceful use.
↑ Include weapons development, weapon effects, safety test, transport safety test, war, science, joint verification and industrial/peaceful, which may be further broken down.
↑ Designations for test items where known, "?" indicates some uncertainty about the preceding value, nicknames for particular devices in quotes. This category of information is often not officially disclosed.
↑ Estimated energy yield in tons, kilotons, and megatons. A ton of TNT equivalent is defined as 4.184gigajoules (1gigacalorie).
↑ Radioactive emission to the atmosphere aside from prompt neutrons, where known. The measured species is only iodine-131 if mentioned, otherwise it is all species. No entry means unknown, probably none if underground and "all" if not; otherwise notation for whether measured on the site only or off the site, where known, and the measured amount of radioactivity released.
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↑ Instructions for Pampas (Nougat Operation) (Report). February 23, 1962. p.1. NV0125108. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. The Pampas event of Operation Nougat is tentatively scheduled for 0830 hours...
↑ Hechanova, Anthony E.; O'Donnell, James E. (September 25, 1998), Estimates of yield for nuclear tests impacting the groundwater at the Nevada Test Site, Nuclear Science and Technology Division
Norris, Robert Standish & Thomas B. Cochran (February 1, 1994). "United States nuclear tests, July 1945 to 31 December 1992"(PDF). Nuclear Weapons Databook Working Paper. NWD 94-1publisher=Natural Resources Defense Council (Washington, DC). Archived from the original(PDF) on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
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