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Does anybody have more details on what these underground nuclear test sites are like? It seems like the whole thing would just collapse after the first explosi

Does anybody have more details on what these underground nuclear test sites are like? It seems like the whole thing would just collapse after the first explosion, and be completely unobservable. And if it was observable, that seems like it would create problems too.

parsimo2010 7y ago
They literally drill a hole into the ground and stick a nuke in it. The surrounding rock is vaporized, but eventually the pressure and heat is low enough that the surrounding earth can contain it. You're left with either a big void in the earth, or if the nuke wasn't buried deep enough the void collapses and makes a crater on the surface. You might have thought that there was some giant underground complex, but it's really just mining equipment drilling a hole and a bunch of sensors strung out feeding data to recording devices that are a long way away. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_nuclear_weapons_testing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_nuclear_weapons_te... Edit: to clarify, they don't reuse holes for repeat testing (that I'm aware of), they just drill a new one a few miles apart. So a "testing site" is just a bunch of land that the government owns and is willing to never use it for anything else.
- aeolis_mons 7y ago
  Sometimes the same hole is reused, though not usually: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon_Site https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon_Site
  - mstromb 7y ago
    Wow, I am now extremely curious about what the inside of that cave looked like! But I suppose taking pictures of it wouldn't have really served enough practical purpose to deal with hauling something back out of the hole, not the mention the lingering radiation from the previous test would probably instantly expose any film sent down there. Still! What does the container for a nuclear explosion look like on the inside? Is it smooth and glassy? Does molten material drip down and form stalactites and stalagmites? Does the surface crack as it cools? What color is everything?
    - mncharity 7y ago
      > I am now extremely curious about what the inside of that cave looked like Here's Project Gnome's: image https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Nougat#/media/File:Project_Gnome_nuclear_explosion_-_salt_dome_cavity.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Nougat#/media/File:P... better color https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryPorn/comments/1fgvt8/a_permanent_stable_cavity_formed_by_one_of_the/ https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryPorn/comments/1fgvt8/a_perma... video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFJ2MyWlXgs&t=1442 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFJ2MyWlXgs&t=1442 report with diagrams https://www.osti.gov/biblio/4612556 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/4612556 cross-section http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/GnomeDiag1024.gif http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/GnomeDiag1024.gif

parsimo2010 7y ago

They literally drill a hole into the ground and stick a nuke in it. The surrounding rock is vaporized, but eventually the pressure and heat is low enough that the surrounding earth can contain it. You're left with either a big void in the earth, or if the nuke wasn't buried deep enough the void collapses and makes a crater on the surface. You might have thought that there was some giant underground complex, but it's really just mining equipment drilling a hole and a bunch of sensors strung out feeding data to recording devices that are a long way away. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_nuclear_weapons_testing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_nuclear_weapons_te... Edit: to clarify, they don't reuse holes for repeat testing (that I'm aware of), they just drill a new one a few miles apart. So a "testing site" is just a bunch of land that the government owns and is willing to never use it for anything else.

aeolis_mons 7y ago
Sometimes the same hole is reused, though not usually: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon_Site https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon_Site
- mstromb 7y ago
  Wow, I am now extremely curious about what the inside of that cave looked like! But I suppose taking pictures of it wouldn't have really served enough practical purpose to deal with hauling something back out of the hole, not the mention the lingering radiation from the previous test would probably instantly expose any film sent down there. Still! What does the container for a nuclear explosion look like on the inside? Is it smooth and glassy? Does molten material drip down and form stalactites and stalagmites? Does the surface crack as it cools? What color is everything?
  - mncharity 7y ago
    > I am now extremely curious about what the inside of that cave looked like Here's Project Gnome's: image https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Nougat#/media/File:Project_Gnome_nuclear_explosion_-_salt_dome_cavity.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Nougat#/media/File:P... better color https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryPorn/comments/1fgvt8/a_permanent_stable_cavity_formed_by_one_of_the/ https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryPorn/comments/1fgvt8/a_perma... video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFJ2MyWlXgs&t=1442 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFJ2MyWlXgs&t=1442 report with diagrams https://www.osti.gov/biblio/4612556 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/4612556 cross-section http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/GnomeDiag1024.gif http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/GnomeDiag1024.gif