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and distance of over 160 kilometers (99 mi) from Las Vegas. Holes can be drilled to a depth of more than 1,370 meters (4,490 ft). This allows tests in the megaton range to be fully contained with minimal
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49:(NNSS). It occupies 243 square miles (630 km) in the northwest corner of the NNSS in Nevada. The eastern section is known as Area 19 and the western section as Area 20.
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of 1963 banned atmospheric nuclear testing. This led to a requirement for an underground test area that could accommodate higher yield tests than
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1375:
162:, the United States and the Soviet Union conducted two joint tests employing proposed treaty verification techniques. The first was
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340:
crater area resembles the lunar landscape. It was used along with other areas of the NNSS to train some of the astronauts of the
423:
81:
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The Pahute
Control Point is located in Area 18, south of Pahute Mesa. It was used until 1971 to monitor tests in Pahute Mesa.
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The Soviet Union flag is raised to the top of the emplacement tower to be flown beside the U.S. flag for the
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Pahute Mesa was thus incorporated into the boundary of the NNSS in late 1963 under an agreement between the
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U.S. Department of Energy, National
Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Operations Office (June 2004).
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U.S. Department of Energy, National
Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Site Office (July 2011),
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The following tests resulted in a release of radioactivity that was detected outside of the NNSS.
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This article is about the nuclear test region. For the landform extending further northwest, see
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A total of 85 nuclear tests were conducted in Pahute Mesa between 1965 and 1992. Three of them—
17:
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Description of the Nevada Test Site and Nellis Air Force Range
Complex Activities in Nevada
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Rugged terrain features and harsh winter conditions make year-round operations difficult.
8:
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1021:
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554:. Figure 4-30: Approximate area of plutonium contamination exceeding 10 pCi/g on the NTS.
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and includes the Silent Canyon caldera complex of the
Southwest Nevada volcanic field.
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499:, Las Vegas, NV: Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies, University of Nevada
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by driving over a near-lunar landscape at the
Schooner crater site in Area 20
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131:—had a yield of over one megaton. Three tests were conducted as part of
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516:"National Cancer Institute. National Institute of Health. Chapter 2.
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U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada
Operations Office (December 2000),
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crater has the highest annual mean concentration of radioactive
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History of the Nevada Test Site and
Nuclear Testing Background.
471:
United States
Nuclear Tests - July 1945 through September 1992
154:
In 1988, as a prelude to the signing of the protocols to the
564:
550:
Globalsecurity.org. Weapons of Mass
Destruction. Library.
304:
and other radionuclides across Area 20 and northward into
568:
Annual Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2001
552:
Nevada Test Site Final Environmental Impact Statement
431:
Draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement Nevada
45:
is one of four major nuclear test regions within the
1326:
Unethical human experimentation in the United States
687:
Nuclear weapons tests conducted by the United States
543:
591:"Apollo Astronauts Train at the Nevada Test Site"
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494:
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417:
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308:. According to measurements taken in 2001, the
166:, conducted in Area 19 of the NNSS, the second
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610:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
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463:
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459:
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442:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
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391:
177:
565:Bechtel Nevada Corporation (October 2001),
495:Hechanova, A.E.; O’Neill, L.J. (May 1998),
678:
664:
1376:Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie
582:
503:
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68:Pahute Mesa was seen as ideal due to its
323:
141:
95:
26:
1331:International Day against Nuclear Tests
1405:
488:
91:
82:United States Atomic Energy Commission
659:
1370:Reactor-grade plutonium nuclear test
1295:Fallout: An American Nuclear Tragedy
1351:Radiation Exposure Compensation Act
31:Location of Pahute Mesa within the
13:
651:United States Department of Energy
649:from websites or documents of the
328:Apollo 16 astronauts train in the
160:Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty
114:
14:
1444:
645: This article incorporates
640:
384:to test lunar equipment for the
380:. In May 2023, NASA returned to
1392:Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll
1289:National Atomic Testing Museum
1193:Nevada Test and Training Range
618:
1:
406:
319:
47:Nevada National Security Site
33:Nevada National Security Site
7:
376:trained at Schooner in the
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104:Pahute Mesa is part of the
10:
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100:Aerial view of Pahute Mesa
52:
15:
1423:Volcanic fields of Nevada
1279:
1254:
1233:
1217:
1201:
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1124:
1115:
693:
392:Supporting infrastructure
316:of any area of the NNSS.
178:Radioactive contamination
156:Threshold Test Ban Treaty
77:being felt in Las Vegas.
1336:Nevada Desert Experience
1341:Nuclear weapons testing
1262:Pacific Proving Grounds
203:Atmospheric release of
172:Semipalatinsk Test Site
59:Partial Test Ban Treaty
22:Pahute (disambiguation)
1142:Carson National Forest
647:public domain material
333:
306:Nellis Air Force Range
151:
101:
35:
20:. For other uses, see
18:Pahute Mesa (landform)
1321:Desert Rock exercises
327:
145:
99:
30:
401:Pahute Mesa Airstrip
1433:Volcanoes of Nevada
170:, conducted at the
135:and one as part of
133:operation Plowshare
92:Geology and climate
1428:Calderas of Nevada
1188:Sand Springs Range
334:
152:
102:
36:
1413:History of Nevada
1400:
1399:
1346:Project Plowshare
1275:
1274:
362:Rusty Schweickart
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293:
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1418:Nevada Test Site
1158:Nevada Test Site
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1121:
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626:NASA at the NNSS
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525:. Archived from
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1357:The Atomic Cafe
1301:Alvin C. Graves
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1092:Upshot–Knothole
1085:Tumbler–Snapper
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364:. In 1970, the
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314:tritiated water
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115:Nuclear testing
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923:Little Feller
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886:Hardtack Teak
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744:Buster–Jangle
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532:on 2010-12-21
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484:on 2006-10-12
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300:plume spread
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106:Tonopah Basin
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75:ground motion
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50:
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44:
40:
34:
29:
23:
19:
1387:Louis Vitale
1382:Vela Uniform
1374:
1364:Radio Bikini
1362:
1355:
1311:Chuck Hansen
1293:
1173:Rainier Mesa
1167:
639:
637:
620:
597:
584:
567:
560:
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534:. Retrieved
527:the original
517:
496:
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479:the original
470:
430:
398:
395:
381:
374:Charlie Duke
337:
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309:
297:
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181:
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137:Vela Uniform
128:
124:
120:
118:
110:
103:
79:
67:
56:
42:
38:
37:
1306:Reed Hadley
1209:Salmon Site
1202:Mississippi
1168:Pahute Mesa
994:Quicksilver
895:Hardtack II
765:Cornerstone
598:Fact Sheets
424:"chapter 2"
378:lunar rover
354:Buzz Aldrin
350:Dick Gordon
330:Lunar rover
286:(0.56
270:1968-12-08
258:(0.22
242:1968-01-26
214:1965-04-14
43:Paiute Mesa
39:Pahute Mesa
1407:Categories
1178:Yucca Flat
1132:Alamogordo
1125:New Mexico
1071:Touchstone
983:Project 57
978:Project 56
972:Praetorian
879:Hardtack I
844:Greenhouse
779:Crossroads
758:Charioteer
694:Operations
536:2008-07-10
407:References
370:John Young
358:Dave Scott
320:Other uses
284:kilocuries
276:Plowshare
256:kilocuries
248:Plowshare
239:Cabriolet
228:kilocuries
220:Plowshare
211:Palanquin
205:iodine-131
63:Yucca Flat
1241:Parachute
1099:Whetstone
1057:Tinderbox
1022:Sandstone
937:Musketeer
851:Grenadier
823:Flintlock
366:Apollo 16
302:plutonium
267:Schooner
230:(34
200:Location
164:Kearsarge
148:Kearsarge
1234:Colorado
1225:Amchitka
1137:Carlsbad
965:Plumbbob
916:Latchkey
872:Guardian
864:Cannikin
837:Fusileer
816:Fishbowl
786:Crosstie
709:Aqueduct
606:cite web
438:citation
382:Schooner
368:team of
338:Schooner
310:Schooner
298:Schooner
279:Area 20
251:Area 20
223:Area 20
197:Purpose
158:and the
84:and the
1280:Related
1078:Trinity
1043:Sunbeam
1029:Sculpin
1008:Redwing
958:Phalanx
944:Niblick
930:Mandrel
858:Grommet
830:Fulcrum
793:Dominic
772:Cresset
737:Bowline
730:Bedrock
631:YouTube
273:Crater
245:Crater
217:Crater
129:Handley
70:geology
53:History
1282:topics
1218:Alaska
1151:Nevada
1106:Wigwam
1064:Toggle
1050:Teapot
1036:Storax
1001:Ranger
951:Nougat
751:Castle
168:Shagan
125:Benham
121:Boxcar
1255:Other
1246:Rifle
1118:areas
909:Julin
809:Emery
723:Argus
716:Arbor
702:Anvil
594:(PDF)
530:(PDF)
523:(PDF)
482:(PDF)
475:(PDF)
427:(PDF)
194:Type
191:Date
188:Test
150:test.
1116:Test
612:link
444:link
399:The
372:and
360:and
336:The
296:The
226:910
127:and
57:The
902:Ivy
629:on
573:doi
288:PBq
282:15
260:PBq
232:PBq
41:or
1409::
881:"
860:"
795:"
653:.
608:}}
604:{{
596:.
571:,
505:^
452:^
440:}}
436:{{
429:,
414:^
388:.
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352:,
348:,
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254:6
234:)
174:.
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88:.
65:.
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679:e
672:t
665:v
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600:.
575::
539:.
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446:)
24:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
