Nevada Test Site

Click on the map to see information about that area NTS Area Map - Where is: Central Nevada Test Area & Project Shoal site ? Area 13 ? Area 21 ? Area 24 ? Area 28 ? Area 51 ?

Area 10 — This area, incorporated in the Nuclear Test Zone, occupies 54 km2 (21 mi2) in the northeast quadrant of the Yucca Flat weapons test basin.

Area 10 was the selected location for the nation’s first nuclear missile system test, an air-to-air rocket, detonated in mid-1957. This was the only nuclear rocket test ever conducted at the NTS.

Two of the earliest shallow nuclear cratering experiments conducted at the NTS were detonated in 1951 and 1955 at this location. Resuming with the deeply buried Sedan cratering experiment in mid-1962 and extending through early 1991, a number of underground nuclear tests were conducted in Area 10. Counting both the cratering and contained underground tests, there were 57 nonatmospheric nuclear tests.

The first U.S. underground test "Uncle" was detonated 11/29/51 here, conducted by LANL

A number of the underground tests detonated in Area 10 were simultaneous detonations of multiple devices in the same emplacement hole, while others involved the firing of multiple devices, but with each of the nuclear devices located in separate emplacement holes.

Area 10 is the site of Sedan Crater, which was formed by a 100 kiloton thermonuclear device was detonated on July 6, 1962, at a depth of 194 meters (635 feet) as part of the U.S. Plowshare program. The blast displaced about 12 million tons of alluvial soil and left a large throw-out crater with a diameter of 390 m (1,280 ft) and a depth of 98 m (320 ft). Sedan was the first in a series of 23 Plowshare experiments conducted at the NTS to develop peaceful uses (?) of nuclear explosives. Sedan Crater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a file of cultural resources of national, state, regional, or local significance identified by the National Park Service.

The Scooter Crater, also located in Area 10, is the result of a 500-ton conventional high-explosive experiment carried out in 1960.

Total number of Nuclear Tests 57 and Detonations 71 as having occured in Area 10, according to United States Nuclear Tests July 1945 through September 1992 DOE/NV--209-REV 15 December 2000 which may view here, but the document only lists the following tests as having occured in Area 10, other are tests are listed by hole or shaft number and am still working on updating this list.