|
|
U.S. Nuclear Tests (1945-1992) |
|
|
U.S. Nuclear Tests (1945-1992) |
Bibliography:
The
United States Nuclear Weapon Program: A Summary History
Department of Energy, March 1983
DOE/NV-209-REV 15: United
States Nuclear Tests - July 1945 through September 1992 (December
2000) (PDF)
Editoral Note: DOE/NV-209-Rev 15 Circa 2000, considers FAT MAN and LITTLE BOY to be outside the test sequence. However, the 1983 Summary History of the Nuclear Weapons Program referenced above considered them to be tests. The reason for the change? In the eighties, the Japanese finally noticed that the U.S. considered Hiroshima and Nagasaki as tests, complained and forced their reclassification. I use the 1983 definition in these charts.
Note: 62 underground tests at the Nevada Test Site, and one underground test at Rifle, Colorado had simultaneous initations of multiple devices within 0.1 seconds of each other and within 2 kilometers of each other (as defined by the Threshold Test Ban Treaty) so the actual numbers of devices initated is 1,151; rather than the total of 1,056 tests as given below.
Tests By Calendar Year
|
Calendar |
US-Only Tests |
US/UK |
Total |
Total |
Total Tests To Date |
|
CY 1945 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
|
CY 1946 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
|
CY 1947 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
|
CY 1948 |
3 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
8 |
|
CY 1949 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
8 |
|
CY 1950 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
8 |
|
CY 1951 |
16 |
0 |
24 |
0 |
24 |
|
CY 1952 |
10 |
0 |
34 |
0 |
34 |
|
CY 1953 |
11 |
0 |
45 |
0 |
45 |
|
CY 1954 |
6 |
0 |
51 |
0 |
51 |
|
CY 1955 |
18 |
0 |
69 |
0 |
69 |
|
CY 1956 |
18 |
0 |
87 |
0 |
87 |
|
CY 1957 |
32 |
0 |
119 |
0 |
119 |
|
CY 1958 |
77 |
0 |
196 |
0 |
196 |
|
CY 1959 |
0 |
0 |
196 |
0 |
196 |
|
CY 1960 |
0 |
0 |
196 |
0 |
196 |
|
CY 1961 |
10 |
0 |
206 |
0 |
206 |
|
CY 1962 |
96 |
2 |
302 |
2 |
304 |
|
CY 1963 |
47 |
0 |
349 |
2 |
351 |
|
CY 1964 |
45 |
2 |
394 |
4 |
398 |
|
CY 1965 |
38 |
1 |
432 |
5 |
437 |
|
CY 1966 |
48 |
0 |
480 |
5 |
485 |
|
CY 1967 |
42 |
0 |
522 |
5 |
527 |
|
CY 1968 |
56 |
0 |
578 |
5 |
583 |
|
CY 1969 |
46 |
0 |
624 |
5 |
629 |
|
CY 1970 |
39 |
0 |
663 |
5 |
668 |
|
CY 1971 |
24 |
0 |
687 |
5 |
692 |
|
CY 1972 |
27 |
0 |
714 |
5 |
719 |
|
CY 1973 |
24 |
0 |
738 |
5 |
743 |
|
CY 1974 |
22 |
1 |
760 |
6 |
766 |
|
CY 1975 |
22 |
0 |
782 |
6 |
788 |
|
CY 1976 |
20 |
1 |
802 |
7 |
809 |
|
CY 1977 |
20 |
0 |
822 |
7 |
829 |
|
CY 1978 |
19 |
2 |
841 |
9 |
850 |
|
CY 1979 |
15 |
1 |
856 |
10 |
866 |
|
CY 1980 |
14 |
3 |
870 |
13 |
883 |
|
CY 1981 |
16 |
1 |
886 |
14 |
900 |
|
CY 1982 |
18 |
1 |
904 |
15 |
919 |
|
CY 1983 |
18 |
1 |
922 |
16 |
938 |
|
CY 1984 |
18 |
2 |
940 |
18 |
958 |
|
CY 1985 |
17 |
1 |
957 |
19 |
976 |
|
CY 1986 |
14 |
1 |
971 |
20 |
991 |
|
CY 1987 |
14 |
1 |
985 |
21 |
1,006 |
|
CY 1988 |
15 |
0 |
1,000 |
21 |
1,021 |
|
CY 1989 |
11 |
1 |
1,011 |
22 |
1,033 |
|
CY 1990 |
8 |
1 |
1,019 |
23 |
1,042 |
|
CY 1991 |
7 |
1 |
1,026 |
24 |
1,050 |
|
CY 1992 |
6 |
0 |
1,032 |
24 |
1,056 |
Surface Tests by Type
|
Type |
US-Only |
|
Airdrop |
55 |
|
Balloon |
25 |
|
Barge |
36 |
|
Rocket |
12 |
|
Surface |
28 |
|
Tower |
56 |
|
Total |
212 |
Sub-Surface Tests by Type
|
Type |
US-Only |
US/UK Joint |
|
Crater |
9 |
0 |
|
Shaft |
739 |
24 |
|
Tunnel |
67 |
0 |
|
Underwater |
5 |
0 |
|
Total |
820 |
24 |
Tests by Location
|
Test Site |
US-Only |
US/UK Joint |
Total |
Notes |
|
Bikini |
23 |
0 |
23 |
|
|
Christmas Island |
24 |
0 |
24 |
|
|
Enewetak |
43 |
0 |
43 |
|
|
Johnston Island |
12 |
0 |
12 |
|
|
Pacific |
4 |
0 |
4 |
|
|
South Atlantic |
3 |
0 |
3 |
ARGUS
I (1-2 kt Rocket Launched Effects Shot) |
|
Hiroshima, Japan |
1 |
0 |
1 |
LITTLE BOY (First Combat Use) |
|
Nagasaki, Japan |
1 |
0 |
1 |
FAT MAN (Last Combat Use) |
|
Alamogordo, NM |
1 |
0 |
1 |
TRINITY (First Nuclear Initation) |
|
Amchitka, AK |
3 |
0 |
3 |
MILROW
(Sesmic Calibration) |
|
Carlsbad, NM |
1 |
0 |
1 |
GNOME (Project Plowshare) |
|
Central Nevada |
1 |
0 |
1 |
FAULTLESS (Seismic Calibration) |
|
Fallon, NV |
1 |
0 |
1 |
SHOAL (Vela Uniform) |
|
Farmington, NM |
1 |
0 |
1 |
GASBUGGY (Gas Stimulation Experiment) |
|
Grand Valley, CO |
1 |
0 |
1 |
RULISON (Gas Stimulation Experiment) |
|
Hattiesburg, MS |
2 |
0 |
2 |
STERLING
(Vela Uniform) |
|
Nellis AFB Range |
5 |
0 |
5 |
|
|
Rifle, CO |
1 |
0 |
1 |
RIO
BLANCO-1/2/3 |
|
Nevada
Test Site |
100 |
0 |
100 |
|
|
Nevada
Test Site |
804 |
24 |
824 |
62 simultaneous shots involving 93 devices. |
Reason for Test
|
Purpose |
Number of Initations |
|
Combat Test |
2 |
|
Joint US/UK Test |
24 |
|
Project Plowshare |
35 |
|
Safety Experiment |
88 |
|
Storage-Transportation |
4 |
|
Vela Uniform |
7 |
|
Weapons Effects |
100 |
|
Weapons Related |
891 |
|
Total |
1,151 |
