Project 57
1957 CE.
Shown on the map at 37.200°, -116.100°.
Project 57 was an open-air nuclear test conducted by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (now the Department of Energy) at the Nellis Air Force Range on April 24, 1957, following Operation Redwing, and preceding Operation Plumbbob. The test area, also known as Area 13, was a 10 miles (16 km) by 16 miles (26 km) block of land in the western Emigrant Valley, abutting the northeast boundary of the Nevada National Security Site. Project 57 was a combination safety test. The high explosives of a nuclear weapon were detonated asymmetrically to simulate an accidental detonation. The purposes of the test were to verify that no yield would result, study the extent of plutonium contamination, and to develop methods of both surface decontamination and biomedical evaluation techniques for use in plutonium-laden environments. The contaminated area was initially fenced off and the contaminated equipment buried in place. In 1981, the U.S. Department of Energy decontaminated and decommissioned the site.
Text from the Wikipedia article Project 57, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.