GASBUGGY: Preliminary Postshot Summary Report

Abstract

The Project Gasbuggy nuclear explosion of nominally 26-kt yield was detonated on Sunday, December 10, 1967, at 12:30:00 Mountain Standard Time. Indications are that the explosive performed satisfactorily. Preliminary information is available on subsurface and surface ground motions, on the extent of the fractures, on the gas pressure in the chimney, and on the concentration of radionuclides. Subsurface ground velocities measured in instrument hole GB-D located 1470 ft from the emplacement hole range from about 1.15 to 1.6 m/sec depending on the gage location. These values are somewhat but not surprisingly higher than expected. Peak surface velocities range from 1.6 m/sec at the surface above the explosion to about 0.4 m/sec 8400 ft away. Both these data as well as preliminary values of ground motion out to a range of 60 miles are in very good agreement with preshot expectations. No damage was sustained by any of the conventional gas wells which were as close as 2600 ft to the explosion, and no structural damage has been reported from the surrounding area.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1968
Accession Number
ADA382460

Entities

People

  • Fred Holzer

Organizations

  • University of California

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Counter IED
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Detonations
  • Drilling
  • Explosions
  • Explosives
  • Gamma Rays
  • Ground Level
  • Measurement
  • Natural Gas
  • New Mexico
  • Nuclear Energy
  • Nuclear Explosions
  • Radiation
  • Reservoirs
  • Sea Level
  • Structural Response
  • United States
  • Waves

Readers

  • Explosive Engineering.
  • Geotechnical Engineering.
  • Mathematics or Statistics