A-Test Creates a 5.7 Earthquake
LAS VEGAS — The government conducted a major nuclear weapons test 2,100 feet beneath the Nevada desert Tuesday, creating “extremely noticeable” ground motion in a concrete control building 12 miles away and registering 5.7 on the Richter scale.
The noontime test, the third announced shot in 18 days, had been postponed three times because of winds blowing toward Las Vegas and other populated areas.
“It was extremely noticeable, the classic rolling, rocking motion for four or five seconds,” said Department of Energy spokesman Chris West from the control building. “It was among the most perceptible I’ve experienced.”
The test, code-named Hermosa, was buried 2,100 feet beneath Yucca Flat, a desert area 81 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
West said the test was conducted without incident.
The blast had an explosive yield of 20,000 to 150,000 tons of TNT. Although all tests are announced as having an explosive yield of less than 20 kilotons or 20 to 150 kilotons, Tuesday’s shot was believed to be close to the 150-kiloton ceiling set by the Limited Test Ban Treaty.
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