Project Faultless
What the plaque reads:
United States
Atomic Energy Commission
Dr. Glenn I. Seaborg Chairman
Project Faultless
January 19, 1968
A nuclear detonation was conducted below this spot at a depth of 3,200 feet. The device, with a yield of less than one megaton, was detonated to determine the environmental and structural effects that might be expected should subsequently higher yield underground test be conducted in the vicinity.
No excavation, drilling and/or removal of material is permitted without U.S. Government approval within a horizontal distance of 3,300 feet from the surface ground zero location (Nevada State Coordinates N1,414,340 and E629,000 Nye County, Nevada.) Any reentry into U.S. Government drill holes within this horizontal restricted area is prohibited.
What else took place that day:
"Project Faultless was detonated 3,200 feet underground on January 19, 1968 at 10:15am.
The results were devastating! The force of the explosion caused the ground in a radius of several miles to collapse, and created several deep fault lines that despite some "restoration" efforts by the AEC are still visible today. A steel pipe with a diameter of 7.4 feet had been drilled into the ground to place the bomb. Its top end was level with the surface before the test. After the explosion the top 9 feet of the pipe were exposed, due to the ground collapsing.
The blast also created a huge cylindrical underground cavity, a so-called nuclear rubble chimney. It is approximately 820 feet in diameter, and 2,460 feet in height. At its bottom lies over 500,000 metric tons of highly radioactive rubble, with radiation levels similar to the core of a nuclear reactor.
The completely unpredicted disastrous geological damage led to the cancellation of the entire project. The steel pipe was sealed with concrete, and all other sites that were being prepared for more, even more powerful tests were abandoned. The excavations can still be seen nearby. A bronze plaque reminding of the test was affixed to the top of the steel pipe, which now serves as a memorial, marking Ground Zero of the Project Faultless test.
The center of the blast, deep inside the ground, is contaminated with radiation for thousands of years. But it appears that the surface is relatively "clean", and it is safe to visit the site. However, the plaque prohibits digging in the area, or even picking up material from the ground."
Location via:
Center for Land Use Interpretation
Project Faultless
What the plaque reads:
United States
Atomic Energy Commission
Dr. Glenn I. Seaborg Chairman
Project Faultless
January 19, 1968
A nuclear detonation was conducted below this spot at a depth of 3,200 feet. The device, with a yield of less than one megaton, was detonated to determine the environmental and structural effects that might be expected should subsequently higher yield underground test be conducted in the vicinity.
No excavation, drilling and/or removal of material is permitted without U.S. Government approval within a horizontal distance of 3,300 feet from the surface ground zero location (Nevada State Coordinates N1,414,340 and E629,000 Nye County, Nevada.) Any reentry into U.S. Government drill holes within this horizontal restricted area is prohibited.
What else took place that day:
"Project Faultless was detonated 3,200 feet underground on January 19, 1968 at 10:15am.
The results were devastating! The force of the explosion caused the ground in a radius of several miles to collapse, and created several deep fault lines that despite some "restoration" efforts by the AEC are still visible today. A steel pipe with a diameter of 7.4 feet had been drilled into the ground to place the bomb. Its top end was level with the surface before the test. After the explosion the top 9 feet of the pipe were exposed, due to the ground collapsing.
The blast also created a huge cylindrical underground cavity, a so-called nuclear rubble chimney. It is approximately 820 feet in diameter, and 2,460 feet in height. At its bottom lies over 500,000 metric tons of highly radioactive rubble, with radiation levels similar to the core of a nuclear reactor.
The completely unpredicted disastrous geological damage led to the cancellation of the entire project. The steel pipe was sealed with concrete, and all other sites that were being prepared for more, even more powerful tests were abandoned. The excavations can still be seen nearby. A bronze plaque reminding of the test was affixed to the top of the steel pipe, which now serves as a memorial, marking Ground Zero of the Project Faultless test.
The center of the blast, deep inside the ground, is contaminated with radiation for thousands of years. But it appears that the surface is relatively "clean", and it is safe to visit the site. However, the plaque prohibits digging in the area, or even picking up material from the ground."
Location via:
Center for Land Use Interpretation