Operation Tinderbox Explained

Tinderbox
Picture Description:Huron King test chamber
Country:United States
Test Site:
  • NTS Area 19, 20, Pahute Mesa
  • NTS, Areas 1–4, 6–10, Yucca Flat
Period:1979–1980
Number Of Tests:14
Test Type:underground shaft
Max Yield:140ktTNT
Next Series:Operation Guardian

Operation Tinderbox was a series of 14 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1979–1980 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Quicksilver series and preceded the Operation Guardian series.

List of the nuclear tests

See also: List of nuclear weapons tests of the United States.

United States' Tinderbox series tests and detonations
- !style="background:#ffdead;" Name [1] !style="background:#efefef;" Date time (UT) !style="background:#ffdead;" Local time zone[2] [3] !style="background:#efefef;" Location[4] !style="background:#ffdead;" Elevation + height [5] !style="background:#efefef;" Delivery [6]
Purpose [7] !style="background:#efefef;" 		Device[8] !style="background:#ffdead;" Yield[9] !style="background:#efefef;" class="unsortable" Fallout[10] !style="background:#ffdead;" class="unsortable" References !style="background:#efefef;" class="unsortable" Notes - ! Backgammon 15:00:00.096 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U3jh 36.994°N -116.0248°W 1175m (3,855feet) – 228.72m (750.39feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		- ! Azul 18:00:00.09 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U2em 37.1373°N -116.0639°W 1275m (4,183feet) – 205m (673feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		Destroyed the Anvil/Peninsula device that was damaged during placement. - ! Tarko 15:00:00.093 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U2fd 37.1266°N -116.0895°W 1280m (4,200feet) – 369m (1,211feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		Venting detected, 50Ci - ! Norbo 15:35:00.09 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U8c 37.1799°N -116.084°W 1349m (4,426feet) – 271m (889feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		I-131 venting detected, 0 - ! Liptauer 14:00:00.089 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U2eh 37.1498°N -116.0831°W 1304m (4,278feet) – 417m (1,368feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		- ! Pyramid 20:00:00.089 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U7be 37.1011°N -116.0314°W 1266m (4,154feet) – 579.1m (1,899.9feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		- ! Canfield 18:46:30.092 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U3kx 37.056°N -116.0197°W 1211m (3,973feet) – 350.5m (1,149.9feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		- ! Flora 13:00:00.089 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U3lg 37.003°N -116.0321°W 1179m (3,868feet) – 335.6m (1,101feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		Venting detected, 1kCi - ! Kash 17:15:00.09 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U20af 37.2816°N -116.4547°W 1911m (6,270feet) – 645m (2,116feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		Venting detected - ! Huron King 15:10:00.07 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U3ky 37.0233°N -116.0349°W 1187m (3,894feet) – 320.04m (1,050feet) underground shaft,
weapon effect 		Radiation and EMP effects shot through a mockup DSCS satellite on the surface, which was then towed off the collapsing cap. Picture of the test chamber. It is still on the NE lip of the test's crater. - ! Tafi 19:05:00.082 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U20ae 37.2563°N -116.4783°W 1859m (6,099feet) – 680m (2,230feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		Venting detected - ! Verdello 18:19:00.092 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U3ku 37.013°N -116.0236°W 1183m (3,881feet) – 365.76m (1,200feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		Venting detected, 45Ci - ! Bonarda 14:45:00.094 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U3gv 37.0561°N -116.0489°W 1209m (3,967feet) – 381m (1,250feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		- ! Riola 15:26:30.084 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U2eq 37.1168°N -116.0659°W 1254m (4,114feet) – 424m (1,391feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		Venting detected off site, 2.2kCi

Notes and References

  1. The US, France and Great Britain have code-named their test events, while the USSR and China did not, and therefore have only test numbers (with some exceptions  - Soviet peaceful explosions were named). Word translations into English in parentheses unless the name is a proper noun. A dash followed by a number indicates a member of a salvo event. The US also sometimes named the individual explosions in such a salvo test, which results in "name1  - 1(with name2)". If test is canceled or aborted, then the row data like date and location discloses the intended plans, where known.
  2. To convert the UT time into standard local, add the number of hours in parentheses to the UT time; for local daylight saving time, add one additional hour. If the result is earlier than 00:00, add 24 hours and subtract 1 from the day; if it is 24:00 or later, subtract 24 hours and add 1 to the day. v
  3. Web site: Time Zone Historical Database. iana.com. March 8, 2014.
  4. Rough place name and a latitude/longitude reference; for rocket-carried tests, the launch location is specified before the detonation location, if known. Some locations are extremely accurate; others (like airdrops and space blasts) may be quite inaccurate. "~" indicates a likely pro-forma rough location, shared with other tests in that same area.
  5. Elevation is the ground level at the point directly below the explosion relative to sea level; height is the additional distance added or subtracted by tower, balloon, shaft, tunnel, air drop or other contrivance. For rocket bursts the ground level is "N/A". In some cases it is not clear if the height is absolute or relative to ground, for example, Plumbbob/John. No number or units indicates the value is unknown, while "0" means zero. Sorting on this column is by elevation and height added together.
  6. Atmospheric, airdrop, balloon, gun, cruise missile, rocket, surface, tower, and barge are all disallowed by the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Sealed shaft and tunnel are underground, and remained useful under the PTBT. Intentional cratering tests are borderline; they occurred under the treaty, were sometimes protested, and generally overlooked if the test was declared to be a peaceful use.
  7. Include weapons development, weapon effects, safety test, transport safety test, war, science, joint verification and industrial/peaceful, which may be further broken down.
  8. Designations for test items where known, "?" indicates some uncertainty about the preceding value, nicknames for particular devices in quotes. This category of information is often not officially disclosed.
  9. Estimated energy yield in tons, kilotons, and megatons. A ton of TNT equivalent is defined as 4.184 gigajoules (1 gigacalorie).
  10. Radioactive emission to the atmosphere aside from prompt neutrons, where known. The measured species is only iodine-131 if mentioned, otherwise it is all species. No entry means unknown, probably none if underground and "all" if not; otherwise notation for whether measured on the site only or off the site, where known, and the measured amount of radioactivity released.

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