The series included Touchstone Kearsarge, a joint US-Soviet test as part of the Joint Verification Experiment (JVE). The JVE's purpose was to provide yield data to both parties about each other's nuclear test sites so that accurate remote measurements could be taken to verify each other's compliance with the Threshold Test Ban Treaty (TTBT).[1][2]
↑ A bomb test may be a salvo test, defined as two or more explosions "where a period of time between successive individual explosions does not exceed 5 seconds and where the burial points of all explosive devices can be connected by segments of straight lines, each of them connecting two burial points and does not exceed 40 kilometers in length".Mikhailov, V. N. "Catalog of World Wide Nuclear Testing". Begell-Atom. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014.
↑ 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.
Related Research Articles
Operation Tinderbox was a series of 14 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1979–1980 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Quicksilver series and preceded the Operation Guardian series.
Operation Guardian was a series of 14 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1980–1981 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Tinderbox series and preceded the Operation Praetorian series.
The United States's Niblick nuclear test series was a group of 41 nuclear tests conducted in 1963–1964. These tests followed the Operation Roller Coaster series and preceded the Operation Whetstone series.
The United States's Bowline nuclear test series was a group of 47 nuclear tests conducted in 1968–1969. These tests followed the Operation Crosstie series and preceded the Operation Mandrel series.
The United States's Mandrel nuclear test series was a group of 52 nuclear tests conducted in 1969–1970. These tests followed the Operation Bowline series and preceded the Operation Emery series.
Operation Quicksilver was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1978–1979 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Cresset series and preceded the Operation Tinderbox series.
Operation Sunbeam was a series of four nuclear tests conducted at the United States's Nevada Test Site in 1962. Operation Sunbeam tested tactical nuclear warheads; the most notable was the Davy Crockett.
The United States's Praetorian nuclear test series was a group of 19 nuclear tests conducted in 1981–1982. These tests followed the Operation Guardian series and preceded the Operation Phalanx series.
The United States's Phalanx nuclear test series was a group of 18 nuclear tests conducted in 1982–1983. These tests followed the Operation Praetorian series and preceded the Operation Fusileer series.
Operation Fusileer was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1983–1984 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Phalanx series and preceded the Operation Grenadier series.
Operation Grenadier was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1984–1985 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Fusileer series and preceded the Operation Charioteer series.
Operation Charioteer was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1985–1986 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Grenadier series and preceded the Operation Musketeer series.
The United States's Musketeer nuclear test series was a group of 14 nuclear tests conducted in 1986–1987. These tests followed the Operation Charioteer series and preceded the Operation Touchstone series.
The United States's Cornerstone nuclear test series was a group of 11 nuclear tests conducted in 1988–1989. These tests followed the Operation Touchstone series and preceded the Operation Aqueduct series.
The United States's Aqueduct nuclear test series was a group of 10 nuclear tests conducted in 1989–1990. These tests followed the Operation Cornerstone series and preceded the Operation Sculpin series.
The United States's Grommet nuclear test series was a group of 34 nuclear tests conducted in 1971–1972. These tests followed the Operation Emery series and preceded the Operation Toggle series.
The United States's Arbor nuclear test series was a group of 18 nuclear tests conducted in 1973–1974. These tests followed the Operation Toggle series and preceded the Operation Bedrock series.
The United States's Bedrock nuclear test series was a group of 27 nuclear tests conducted in 1974–1975. These tests followed the Operation Arbor series and preceded the Operation Anvil series.
The United States's Cresset nuclear test series was a group of 22 nuclear tests conducted in 1977–1978. These tests followed the Operation Fulcrum series and preceded the Operation Quicksilver series.
Operation Anvil was a series of 21 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1975–1976 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Bedrock series and preceded the Operation Fulcrum series.
1 2 3 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
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
