Operation Quicksilver (1978)
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| Operation Quicksilver | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Country | United States |
| Test site | NTS Area 19, 20, Pahute Mesa; NTS, Areas 1-4, 6-10, Yucca Flat |
| Period | 1978-1979 |
| Number of tests | 16 |
| Test type | Underground shaft |
| Max. yield | 600 tonnes of TNT (2,500 GJ) - 140 kilotonnes of TNT (590 TJ) |
| Navigation | |
| Previous test series | Cresset |
| Next test series | Tinderbox |
Operation Quicksilver[1] was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1978-1979 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed Cresset and preceded Tinderbox.
The United States test series summary table is here: United States' nuclear testing series.
The detonations in the United States' Quicksilver series are listed below:
| Name[Note 1] | Date Time (UT) | Local time zone[Note 2] | Location[Note 3] | Elevation + Height[Note 4] | Delivery[Note 5] | Purpose[Note 6] | Device[Note 7] | Yield[Note 8] | Venting[Note 9] | References | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emmenthal | November 2, 1978 15:00:25.169 | PST | NTS Area U19t 37°17′16″N 116°17′54″W / 37.28789°N 116.29838°W | 2,104 m (6,903 ft) - 576.1 m (1,890 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 2.5 kt | [1][2][3] | |||
| Concentration | December 1, 1978 17:00:37.073 | PST | NTS Area U3kn 37°01′47″N 116°01′30″W / 37.02965°N 116.02488°W | 1,189 m (3,901 ft) - 247.59 m (812.3 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 600 t | [1][2][3][4][5] | |||
| Farm | December 16, 1978 15:00:30.158 | PST | NTS Area U20ab 37°16′24″N 116°24′40″W / 37.27334°N 116.41116°W | 1,979 m (6,493 ft) - 689 m (2,260 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 140 kt | Venting detected | [1][2][3][6] | ||
| Baccarat | January 24, 1979 18:00:00.1 | PST | NTS Area U7ax 37°06′19″N 116°00′49″W / 37.10536°N 116.0135°W | 1,311 m (4,301 ft) - 326.44 m (1,071.0 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 6 kt | [1][2][3] | |||
| Quinella | February 8, 1979 20:00:00.089 | PST | NTS Area U4l 37°06′09″N 116°03′21″W / 37.10243°N 116.05571°W | 1,241 m (4,072 ft) - 579.1 m (1,900 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 89 kt | [1][2][3][7][5] | |||
| Kloster | February 15, 1979 18:00:05.165 | PST | NTS Area U2eo 37°09′07″N 116°04′22″W / 37.15196°N 116.07271°W | 1,297 m (4,255 ft) - 536.4 m (1,760 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 20 kt | Venting detected | [1][2][3][6][7][8] | ||
| Memory | March 14, 1979 18:00:30.095 | PST | NTS Area U3kg 37°01′40″N 116°02′26″W / 37.02778°N 116.04062°W | 1,190 m (3,900 ft) - 364.85 m (1,197.0 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 5 kt | [1][2][3] | |||
| Freezeout | May 11, 1979 16:00:00.102 | PST | NTS Area U3kw 36°59′53″N 116°01′06″W / 36.99818°N 116.01844°W | 1,177 m (3,862 ft) - 335.3 m (1,100 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 5 kt | [1][2][3][4][5] | |||
| Pepato | June 11, 1979 14:00:00.17 | PST | NTS Area U20ad 37°17′23″N 116°27′22″W / 37.28963°N 116.45614°W | 1,913 m (6,276 ft) - 681 m (2,234 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 100 kt | I-131 venting detected, 0 | [1][2][3][6][8] | ||
| Chess | June 20, 1979 15:00:13.542 | PST | NTS Area U7at 37°06′27″N 116°00′57″W / 37.10761°N 116.01585°W | 1,309 m (4,295 ft) - 335.3 m (1,100 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 1.5 kt | [1][2][3] | |||
| Fajy | June 28, 1979 14:00:44.167 | PST | NTS Area U2fc 37°08′35″N 116°05′18″W / 37.14305°N 116.08847°W | 1,303 m (4,275 ft) - 536 m (1,759 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 22 kt | I-131 venting detected, 0 | [1][2][3][6][7][8] | ||
| Burzet | August 3, 1979 15:00:37.164 | PST | NTS Area U4ai 37°05′02″N 116°04′15″W / 37.0839°N 116.07076°W | 1,235 m (4,052 ft) - 450 m (1,480 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 20 kt | Venting detected | [1][2][3][6][7] | ||
| Offshore | August 8, 1979 15:00:00.112 | PST | NTS Area U3ks 37°00′53″N 116°00′32″W / 37.0147°N 116.00887°W | 1,182 m (3,878 ft) - 396.54 m (1,301.0 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 20 kt | [1][2][3][7][5] | |||
| Hearts | September 6, 1979 15:00:00.089 | PST | NTS Area U4n 37°05′17″N 116°03′13″W / 37.08806°N 116.05356°W | 1,232 m (4,042 ft) - 640.02 m (2,099.8 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 140 kt | [1][2][3][7][5] | Destroyed Cresset/Transom device which didn't detonate. | ||
| Pera | September 8, 1979 17:00:02.09 | PST | NTS Area U10bd 37°09′18″N 116°02′21″W / 37.15495°N 116.03906°W | 1,280 m (4,200 ft) - 200 m (660 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 5 kt | [1][2][3] | |||
| Sheepshead | September 26, 1979 15:00:00.091 | PST | NTS Area U19aa 37°13′46″N 116°21′53″W / 37.22935°N 116.36482°W | 2,033 m (6,670 ft) - 640 m (2,100 ft) | Underground shaft | Weapons development | 140 kt | [1][2][3] |
Table Notes:
- ↑ The US, France and Great Britain have code-named their test events, while the USSR and China have not, and therefore have only test numbers (with some exceptions - Soviet peaceful explosions were named). A dash followed by a number indicates a member of a salvo event. The US also named the individual explosions in such a test,which results in "<name> - 1(with <other_name>)".
- ↑ To compute local standard time "PST" (Pacific ST) from UT, subtract 8 hours from the UT. If that time is less then 00:00, add 24 hours and decrease the date by one day.
- ↑ Rough place name and a Latitude/Longitude reference; for rocket bursts, the launch location is specified before the burst 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. If test is canceled or aborted, then row data is intended plans.
- ↑ 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/units indicates the value is unknown, while "0" means zero.
- ↑ Atmospheric, airdrop, balloon, gun, cruise missile, rocket, surface, tower, barge and cratering are all disallowed by the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Sealed shaft and tunnel are underground, and remained useful under the PTBT.
- ↑ 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, nicknames for particular devices in quotes.
- ↑ Estimated energy yield in tonnes, kilotonnes, and megatonnes (all metric units).
- ↑ Emissions to atmosphere, where known. The measured species is only iodine-131 if mentioned, otherwise it's all species. No entry means unknown, probably none if underground and everything if not; otherwise notation for whether measured on the site only or off the site, and the maximum amount of radiation released.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 United States Nuclear Tests: July 1945 through September 1992 (DOENV-209 REV15). Las Vegas, NV: Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office. 2000-12-01. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 Yang, Xiaoping; North, Robert; Romney, Carl. CMR Nuclear Explosion Database (Revision 3). SMDC Monitoring Research.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 Official list of underground nuclear explosions. Sandia National Laboratories. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Norris, Robert Standish; Cochran, Thomas B. (1 February 1994). "United States nuclear tests, July 1945 to 31 December 1992 (NWD 94-1)". Nuclear Weapons Databook Working Paper (Washington, DC: Natural Resources Defense Council). Retrieved 2013-10-26.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Operation Argus, 1958 (DNA6039F). Washington, DC: Defense Nuclear Agency, Department of Defense. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Radiological Effluents Released from U.S. Continental Tests 1961 Through 1992 (DOE/NV-317 Rev. 1). DOE Nevada Operations Office. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Hechanova, Anthony E.; O'Donnell, James E. (25 September 1998). Estimates of yield for nuclear tests impacting the groundwater at the Nevada Test Site. Nuclear Science and Technology Division.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Estimated exposures and thyroid doses received by the American people from Iodine-131 in fallout following Nevada atmospheric nuclear bomb tests, Chapter 2". National Cancer Institute. 1997. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
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