Project Gasbuggy
Encyclopedia
Project Gasbuggy was an underground nuclear detonation carried out by the United States Atomic Energy Commission
on December 10, 1967 in rural northern New Mexico
. It was part of Operation Plowshare
, a program designed to find peaceful uses for nuclear explosions.
Gasbuggy was carried out by the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory and the El Paso Natural Gas
Company, with funding from the Atomic Energy Commission. Its purpose was to determine whether controlled nuclear explosions could be useful in loosening rock formations for the sake of natural gas
extraction. The site, which is now part of Carson National Forest
, is approximately 25 miles southwest of Dulce, New Mexico
and 50 miles east of Farmington
, and was chosen because natural gas deposits were known to be held in sandstone
beneath Leandro Canyon. A 29-kiloton device was placed at a depth of 4,227 feet underground and detonated; a crowd had gathered to watch, which viewed the detonation from atop a nearby butte
.
The explosion was carried out according to plan, detonating successfully and creating an 80-foot-wide, 335-foot-deep crater
at the site. Wells were drilled and natural gas was extracted from the site. However, the gas proved to be too radioactive to be commercially viable. Highly radioactive material in the area was removed, and the site is now level ground safe to approach at the surface, although drilling or digging in the area is prohibited. In 1978, a placard was installed at the site noting the location of ground zero
. The placard is publicly accessible via the dirt road
New Mexico F.S. 357/Indian
J10 through Carson National Forest.
After Gasbuggy, two further nuclear explosions were carried out as part of Operation Plowshare in the interest of gas extraction, both in Colorado
. Devices were detonated as Project Rulison
in 1969 and Project Rio Blanco
in 1973, both with similar results.
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
on December 10, 1967 in rural northern New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. It was part of Operation Plowshare
Operation Plowshare
Project Plowshare was the overall United States term for the development of techniques to use nuclear explosives for peaceful construction purposes...
, a program designed to find peaceful uses for nuclear explosions.
Gasbuggy was carried out by the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory and the El Paso Natural Gas
El Paso Natural Gas
El Paso Natural Gas is a system of natural gas pipelines that brings gas from the Permian Basin in Texas and the San Juan Basin in New Mexico and Colorado to West Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, California and Arizona. It also exports some natural gas to Mexico. It is owned by El Paso Corporation...
Company, with funding from the Atomic Energy Commission. Its purpose was to determine whether controlled nuclear explosions could be useful in loosening rock formations for the sake of natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
extraction. The site, which is now part of Carson National Forest
Carson National Forest
Carson National Forest is a national forest in northern New Mexico, United States. It encompasses 6,070 square kilometers and is administered by the United States Forest Service...
, is approximately 25 miles southwest of Dulce, New Mexico
Dulce, New Mexico
Dulce is a census-designated place in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,623 at the 2000 census, almost entirely Native American...
and 50 miles east of Farmington
Farmington, New Mexico
Farmington is a city in San Juan County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 U.S. Census the city had a total population of 45,877 people. Farmington makes up one of the four Metropolitan Statistical Areas in New Mexico. The U.S...
, and was chosen because natural gas deposits were known to be held in sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
beneath Leandro Canyon. A 29-kiloton device was placed at a depth of 4,227 feet underground and detonated; a crowd had gathered to watch, which viewed the detonation from atop a nearby butte
Butte
A butte is a conspicuous isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; it is smaller than mesas, plateaus, and table landform tables. In some regions, such as the north central and northwestern United States, the word is used for any hill...
.
The explosion was carried out according to plan, detonating successfully and creating an 80-foot-wide, 335-foot-deep crater
Subsidence crater
A subsidence crater is a hole or depression left on the surface of an area which has had an underground explosion. Many such craters are present at the Nevada Test Site, which is no longer in use for nuclear testing....
at the site. Wells were drilled and natural gas was extracted from the site. However, the gas proved to be too radioactive to be commercially viable. Highly radioactive material in the area was removed, and the site is now level ground safe to approach at the surface, although drilling or digging in the area is prohibited. In 1978, a placard was installed at the site noting the location of ground zero
Ground zero
The term ground zero describes the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation...
. The placard is publicly accessible via the dirt road
Dirt road
Dirt road is a common term for an unpaved road made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable for vehicles; a narrower path for pedestrians, animals, and possibly small vehicles would be called a...
New Mexico F.S. 357/Indian
Indian Reservation Roads Program
The Indian Reservation Roads Program is part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and is meant to meet the transportation needs of Native Americans in the United States, Native American Tribes and Alaska Natives...
J10 through Carson National Forest.
After Gasbuggy, two further nuclear explosions were carried out as part of Operation Plowshare in the interest of gas extraction, both in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Devices were detonated as Project Rulison
Rulison
Project Rulison, named after the rural community of Rulison, Colorado, was a 40-kiloton nuclear test project in the United States on September 10, 1969, about 8 miles SE of the town of Grand Valley, Colorado near western Colorado's Grand Valley in Garfield County. The location of "Surface Ground...
in 1969 and Project Rio Blanco
Project Rio Blanco
Project Rio Blanco was an underground nuclear test that took place on May 17, 1973 in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, approximately 58 km northwest of Rifle....
in 1973, both with similar results.