Pahute Mesa orPaiute Mesa is one of four major nuclear test regions within theNevada National Security Site (NNSS). It occupies 243 square miles (630 km2) in the northwest corner of the NNSS in Nevada. The eastern section is known as Area 19 and the western section as Area 20.[1][2]
ThePartial Test Ban Treaty of 1963 banned atmospheric nuclear testing. This led to a requirement for an underground test area that could accommodate higher yield tests thanYucca Flat.
Pahute Mesa was seen as ideal due to itsgeology and distance of over 160 kilometers (99 mi) from Las Vegas. Holes can be drilled to a depth of more than 1,370 meters (4,490 ft). This allows tests in the megaton range to be fully contained with minimalground motion being felt in Las Vegas.
Pahute Mesa was thus incorporated into the boundary of the NNSS in late 1963 under an agreement between theUnited States Atomic Energy Commission and theU.S. Air Force.[3]
Pahute Mesa is part of theTonopah Basin and includes the Silent Canyon caldera complex of the Southwest Nevada volcanic field.
Rugged terrain features and harsh winter conditions make year-round operations difficult.
A total of 85 nuclear tests were conducted in Pahute Mesa between 1965 and 1992.[2] Three of them—Boxcar,Benham andHandley—had a yield of over one megaton.[2] Three tests were conducted as part ofoperation Plowshare and one as part ofVela Uniform.[2]
In 1988, as a prelude to the signing of the protocols to theThreshold Test Ban Treaty and thePeaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty, the United States and the Soviet Union conducted two joint tests employing proposed treaty verification techniques. The first wasKearsarge, conducted in Area 19 of the NNSS, the secondShagan, conducted at theSemipalatinsk Test Site.[2]
The following tests resulted in a release of radioactivity that was detected outside of the NNSS.[2]
| Test | Date | Type | Purpose | Location | Atmospheric release ofiodine-131 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palanquin | 1965-04-14 | Crater | Plowshare | Area 20 | 910kilocuries (34 PBq)[4] |
| Cabriolet | 1968-01-26 | Crater | Plowshare | Area 20 | 6kilocuries (0.22 PBq)[4] |
| Schooner | 1968-12-08 | Crater | Plowshare | Area 20 | 15kilocuries (0.56 PBq)[4] |
TheSchooner plume spreadplutonium and other radionuclides across Area 20 and northward intoNellis Air Force Range.[5] According to measurements taken in 2001, theSchooner crater has the highest annual mean concentration of radioactivetritiated water of any area of the NNSS.[6]
TheSchooner crater area resembles the lunar landscape. It was used along with other areas of the NNSS to train some of the astronauts of theApollo program, among themNeil Armstrong,Dick Gordon,Buzz Aldrin,Dave Scott andRusty Schweickart. In 1970, theApollo 16 team ofJohn Young andCharlie Duke trained at Schooner in thelunar rover.[7] In May 2023, NASA returned toSchooner to test lunar equipment for theArtemis program.[8]
The Pahute Control Point is located in Area 18, south of Pahute Mesa. It was used until 1971 to monitor tests in Pahute Mesa.
ThePahute Mesa Airstrip, also in Area 18, was used to ship supplies and equipment to Pahute Mesa.[1]
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Department of Energy.