The United States's Whetstone nuclear test series was a group of 46 nuclear tests conducted in 1964–1965. These testsA bomb test may be a salvo test, defined as two or more explosions "where a period of time between successive individual explosions does not exceed five seconds, and where the burial points of all explosive devices can be connected by segments of straight lines, each of them connecting two burial points and does not exceed 40 kilometers in length". followed the Operation Niblick series and preceded the Operation Flintlock series.
Two tests were conducted during this series by the United Kingdom: Cormorant and Courser.
+ United States' Whetstone series tests and detonations Name 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. Date time (UT) Local time zoneTo 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. Historical time zone data obtained from the IANA time zone database. LocationRough 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. Elevation + height 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. Delivery 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.Purpose Include weapons development, weapon effects, safety test, transport safety test, war, science, joint verification, and industrial/peaceful, which may be further broken down. DeviceDesignations 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. YieldEstimated energy yield in tons, kilotons, and megatons. A ton of TNT equivalent is defined as 4.184 gigajoules (1 gigacalorie). FalloutRadioactive 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. References Notes Bye 13:15:00.15 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U10i – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected, less than
Links 13:30:00.15 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U9bf – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected on site, less than
Trogon 18:30:00.04 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3dj – underground shaft,weapons development
Alva 16:00:00.14 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U2j – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected off site,
Canvasback 22:17:00.06 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3cp – underground shaft,weapons development Tsetse
Venting detected,
Player 14:30:00.15 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U9cc – underground shaft,safety experiment W62
Haddock 17:06:00.04 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3dl – underground shaft,weapons development
Guanay 18:15:00.08 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3di – underground shaft,weapons development
Spoon 14:00:00.1 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U9bd – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected,
Auk 20:03:00.04 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U7b – underground shaft,weapons development
Par 14:00:00.12 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U2p – underground shaft,peaceful research
Venting detected,
A Plowshare device with high neutron flux for creation of heavy isotopes. Barbel - 1 (with Turnstone) 15:59:30.038 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3bx – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected,
simultaneous, separate holes. Turnstone - 2 (with Barbel) 15:59:30.03 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3dt + underground shaft,weapons development TX-57, Tsetse
simultaneous, separate holes. Salmon 16:00:00.0 CST (–6 hrs) Salmon Site, near Lumberton, Mississippi – underground shaft,joint verification W58
Project Vela Uniform/Dribble, detection of underground tests. Exploded in Tatum salt dome. Garden 15:00:00.94 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U9aj – underground shaft,weapons development
Forest 17:04:58.61 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U7a – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected,
Handcar 15:00:00.11 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U10b – underground shaft,peaceful research W55, Starling
Venting detected on site,
A Plowshare project for measuring effects of contained explosion on carbonate rock. Crepe 21:15:00.1 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U2q – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected,
Drill (Source-Lower) - 1 21:15:00.16 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U2ai – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected off site,
simultaneous, same hole. Drill (Target-Upper) - 2 21:15:00.16 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U2ai + underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected off site
simultaneous, same hole. Cassowary - 1 (with Hoopoe) 20:00:00.07 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3bn – underground shaft,weapons development
simultaneous, different holes. Hoopoe - 2 (with Cassowary) 20:00:00.07 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3cf + underground shaft,safety experiment
simultaneous, different holes. Parrot 20:00:00.04 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3dk – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected off site,
Mudpack 20:10:00.1 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U10n – underground shaft,weapon effect
Venting detected, less than
Sulky 19:35:00.09 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U18d – underground shaft,peaceful research Mk-7
Venting detected off site, Letter to J. S. Kelly, AEC on the Project Sulky Concept, by G. E. Johnson(leader of the Plowshare program for a time A Plowshare project for hard, dry excavation test, to study dispersion of radionuclides. Wool 16:00:00.14 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U9bh – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected,
Tern 18:22:00.03 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3dw – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected on site,
Cashmere 15:30:00.11 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U2ad – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected,
Alpaca 15:10:29.49 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U2a – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected off site,
Merlin 17:30:00.04 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3ct – underground shaft,weapons development Tsetse
I-131 venting detected, 0
Wishbone 16:18:47.15 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U5a – underground shaft,weapon effect
Venting detected on site,
Seersucker 15:28:54.11 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U9bm – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected on site, less than
Wagtail 19:13:00.03 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3an – underground shaft,weapons development TX-61
Venting detected,
Suede 15:30:49.1 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U9bk – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected,
Cup 15:34:08.16 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U9cb – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected,
Kestrel 21:00:00.04 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3dd – underground shaft,weapons development Tsetse
Venting detected,
Palanquin 13:14:00.1 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U20k – cratering,peaceful research
Venting detected off site,
A Plowshare project for hard, dry excavation test, to study dispersion of radionuclides. Gum Drop 22:00:00.03 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U16a.02 – tunnel,weapon effect W55, Kinglet
Venting detected,
Chenille 13:39:00.1 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U9bg – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected on site, less than
Muscovy 21:44:00.04 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3dx – underground shaft,weapons development
Tee 15:47:11.15 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U2ab – underground shaft,weapon effect
Venting detected off site,
Buteo 18:15:00.1 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U20a – underground shaft,weapons development
Cambric 14:57:52.15 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U5e – underground shaft,weapons development
Cambric and Cheshire (on Pahute Mesa) to study radioactivity movement in ground water. In 16 years 4 billion gallons (30 billion liters) were pumped, took 2 yrs for the tritium to move . Sr-40 and Cs-137 never detected. Scaup 17:32:36.23 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3da(s) – underground shaft,weapons development
Tweed 13:08:52.11 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U9bn – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected,
Petrel 19:45:00.04 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U3dy – underground shaft,weapons development Mk-57, Tsetse
Organdy 20:28:37.11 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U9bo – underground shaft,weapons development
Venting detected,
Diluted Waters 16:30:00.15 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U5b – underground shaft,weapon effect
Venting detected off site,
Tiny Tot 17:00:00.09 PST (–8 hrs) NTS Area U15e – tunnel,weapon effect W54
Venting detected on site,
References