Vela Uniform
Encyclopedia
Vela Uniform was an element of Project Vela
conducted jointly by the United States Department of Energy
and the Advanced Research Projects Agency. Its purpose was to develop seismic methods for detecting underground nuclear testing
, and it involved many experts from academia, the sponsoring military agencies and the Atomic Energy Commission
.
Vela Uniform incorporated seven underground nuclear tests in the continental United States
and Alaska
from October 1963 to July 1971. Seismic traces from multiple locations were analyzed for each of these events to develop methods for differentiating underground nuclear tests from other seismic events (such as earthquake
s) and locating the test site.
These tests were codenamed Project Shoal
, Project Dribble, Project Long Shot, Project Scroll, Project Diamond Dust, and Project Diamond Mine. The Shoal detonation took place beneath Gote Flat in the Sand Springs Range
of central Nevada
. The Project Dribble program involved two nuclear detonations called "Salmon" and "Sterling" that were conducted within Tatum Salt Dome (on a tract referred to as the "Salmon Site
") southwest of Hattiesburg, Mississippi
. The Long Shot detonation took place on Amchitka Island, Alaska
and the remainder were at the Nevada Test Site
in southern Nevada. The Vela Uniform program also involved numerous experiments using conventional high explosives.
The radioactive blast debris from 839 U.S. underground nuclear test explosions remains buried in place and has been judged impractical to remove by the Department of Energy's Nevada Site Office.
Project Vela
Project Vela was a project by the United States to develop and implement methods to monitor compliance with the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty. The development work was primarily performed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency and was overseen by the United States Air Force.Project Vela consisted...
conducted jointly by the United States Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
and the Advanced Research Projects Agency. Its purpose was to develop seismic methods for detecting underground nuclear testing
Underground nuclear testing
Underground nuclear testing refers to test detonations of nuclear weapons that are performed underground. When the device being tested is buried at sufficient depth, the explosion may be contained, with no release of radioactive materials to the atmosphere....
, and it involved many experts from academia, the sponsoring military agencies and the Atomic Energy Commission
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...
.
Vela Uniform incorporated seven underground nuclear tests in the continental United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
from October 1963 to July 1971. Seismic traces from multiple locations were analyzed for each of these events to develop methods for differentiating underground nuclear tests from other seismic events (such as earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s) and locating the test site.
These tests were codenamed Project Shoal
Project Shoal
Project Shoal was an underground nuclear test that took place on October 26, 1963 within the Sand Springs Range, approximately southeast of Fallon, Nevada....
, Project Dribble, Project Long Shot, Project Scroll, Project Diamond Dust, and Project Diamond Mine. The Shoal detonation took place beneath Gote Flat in the Sand Springs Range
Sand Springs Range
The Sand Springs Range is a short mountain range located in western Nevada in the United States within the Great Basin. It is approximately long and is in Churchill County. It separates Salt Wells from Fairview Valley . To the north, it is separated from the Stillwater Range by Sand Springs Pass...
of central Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. The Project Dribble program involved two nuclear detonations called "Salmon" and "Sterling" that were conducted within Tatum Salt Dome (on a tract referred to as the "Salmon Site
Salmon Site
Salmon Site is a tract of land in Lamar County, Mississippi, near Baxterville. The tract is located over a geological formation known as the Tatum Salt Dome and is the location of the only nuclear weapons test detonations known to have been performed in the eastern United States.Two underground...
") southwest of Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Hattiesburg is a city in Forrest County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 44,779 at the 2000 census . It is the county seat of Forrest County...
. The Long Shot detonation took place on Amchitka Island, Alaska
Amchitka
Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island is about long, and from wide...
and the remainder were at the Nevada Test Site
Nevada Test Site
The Nevada National Security Site , previously the Nevada Test Site , is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas...
in southern Nevada. The Vela Uniform program also involved numerous experiments using conventional high explosives.
The radioactive blast debris from 839 U.S. underground nuclear test explosions remains buried in place and has been judged impractical to remove by the Department of Energy's Nevada Site Office.
Vela Uniform tests
| Test name | Date | Location | Yield | Test series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoal Project Shoal Project Shoal was an underground nuclear test that took place on October 26, 1963 within the Sand Springs Range, approximately southeast of Fallon, Nevada.... |
1963-10-26 | Sand Springs Range Sand Springs Range The Sand Springs Range is a short mountain range located in western Nevada in the United States within the Great Basin. It is approximately long and is in Churchill County. It separates Salt Wells from Fairview Valley . To the north, it is separated from the Stillwater Range by Sand Springs Pass... |
12 kt | Niblick Operation Niblick Operation Niblick was a series of 41 underground nuclear explosions conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1963 and 1964. It followed the Dominic I & II and Nougat series, and preceded Whetstone.NameDateSize PEKAN August 12 < 20 kilotons... |
| Salmon | 1964-10-22 | Salmon Site Salmon Site Salmon Site is a tract of land in Lamar County, Mississippi, near Baxterville. The tract is located over a geological formation known as the Tatum Salt Dome and is the location of the only nuclear weapons test detonations known to have been performed in the eastern United States.Two underground... |
5.3 kt | Whetstone Operation Whetstone Operation Whetstone was a series of 48 American nuclear tests conducted in 1964 and 1965. These followed the Niblick series and were in turn followed by Flintlock. All but one of these blasts were conducted beneath the Nevada Test Site... |
| Long Shot | 1965-10-29 | Amchitka Island, Alaska Amchitka Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island is about long, and from wide... |
80 kt | Flintlock Operation Flintlock (nuclear test) Operation Flintlock was a series of 48 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site and Amchitka in 1965 and 1966. These tests followed the Whetstone series and preceded Latchkey. The individual blasts were:... |
| Sterling | 1966-12-03 | Salmon Site Salmon Site Salmon Site is a tract of land in Lamar County, Mississippi, near Baxterville. The tract is located over a geological formation known as the Tatum Salt Dome and is the location of the only nuclear weapons test detonations known to have been performed in the eastern United States.Two underground... |
380 t | Latchkey Operation Latchkey Operation Latchkey was a series of 38 nuclear test explosions conducted in 1966 and 1967 at the Nevada Test Site .These tests followed the Flintlock series and were in turn followed by Crosstie... |
| Scroll | 1968-04-23 | Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada National Security Site , previously the Nevada Test Site , is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas... |
< 20 kt | Crosstie Operation Crosstie Operation Crosstie was a series of 48 nuclear tests mostly conducted in Nevada during 1967 and 1968. These tests followed the Latchkey series and preceded Bowline.... |
| Diamond Dust | 1970-05-12 | Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada National Security Site , previously the Nevada Test Site , is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas... |
< 20 kt | Mandrel Operation Mandrel Operation Mandrel was a series of 53 nuclear test explosions conducted in 1969 and 1970. This test series included a 1.2 megaton "calibration shot" code-named Milrow, which was detonated underground at Amchitka Island, Alaska, and the 40 kiloton gas stimulation experiment code-named Rulison,... |
| Diamond Mine | 1971-07-01 | Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada National Security Site , previously the Nevada Test Site , is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas... |
< 20 kt | Grommet Operation Grommet Operation Grommet was a series of 34 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1971 and 1972 including one in Alaska in 1971. These tests followed the Emery series and preceded Toggle.... |
Reference Sources
- "United States Nuclear Tests, July 1945 to 31 December 1992" (NWD 94-1), Robert Standish Norris and Thomas B. Cochran, Nuclear Weapons Databook, Working Papers, Natural Resources Defense Council, 1350 New York Avenue, N.W., Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005, 202-783-7800, 1 February 1994.
- "Nuclear Explosions and Earthquakes: The Parted Veil," Bruce A. Bolt, W. H. Freeman and Company, San Francisco, 1976, ISBN 0-7167-0276-2.
- "Focused Evaluation of Selected Remedial Alternatives for the Underground Test Area" (DOE/NV--465), April 1997, Environmental Restoration Division, Nevada Operations Office, U.S. Department of Energy, North Las Vegas, Nevada, 89030-4134.