Atomic Legacy
The mention of atomic tests brings to mind two diametrically opposite locations: the tropical islands of the pacific and the Nevada desert.
In the pacific the United States used the Marshal Islands to test its most powerful nuclear weapons. The most (in)famous being Bikini Atoll. The juxtaposition of nuclear fireballs and palm trees swaying serenely in the breeze led the fashion designer Louis Réard to name his (at the time scandalous) garment after the atoll. The numerous tests tainted the land and Bikini atoll is still uninhabitable. The fallout from the Castle Bravo test severely contaminated the crew of a Japanese fishing boat and ultimately served as the inspiration for Godzilla.
Contrasting the serene tropical paradise of the Marshal Islands, the Nevada desert was host to countless nuclear tests. The mushroom clouds were visible from Las Vegas and were a tourist attraction. Fallout from the tests affected large portions of the United States though St. George, Utah bore the brunt of it. John Wayne was filming The Conqueror near St. George and some blame the fallout for causing numerous cases of cancer among the cast and crew.
However, nuclear weapons were tested in a number of different locations throughout the United States. I recently took a trip to visit the sites of two tests that were carried out in Colorado. Both tests were done to test the viability of using nuclear weapons to fracture rock and encourage the release of natural gas.
Project Rio Blanco
I first visited the site of Project Rio Blanco1, about 36 miles northwest of the town of Rifle. On May 17, 1976, three 33 kiloton devices were detonated roughly a mile underground. Several wells were drilled and natural gas was flared into the atmosphere. The quantity of gas was lower than expected and the radioactivity was unsuitably high.
The Rio Blanco site can be easily accessed. The drive follows paved roads through beautiful valleys before turning into dirt roads and open range. Numerous gas wells are visible along the way, hydro-fracking succeded where nuclear-fracking failed.
The site is unremarkable from the road and would be easy to miss entirely if not for a stone marker that is visible among the brush.
The site from the road
The Rio Blanco Marker
A capped gas well at the site
An underground shaft
A cable sticking out of the ground. Its condition seems to be too good to be from the detonation, but I can’t image why else it would be here
Scorched bushes at the site
Burnt trees near the site
Project Rulison
Project Rulison2 took place near the town of Parachute. On September 10, 1969 a 40 kiloton device was detonated more than a mile underground. The test liberated large quantities of natural gas but it, too, was unsuitable due to high levels of radioactivity.
The Rulison site can be access by taking a steep dirt road up into the hills near Parachute. The Rulison site is, surprisingly, located in somebody’s yard. There’s a marker and a sign explaining the history of the site. The site in rather underwhelming when compared to the Rio Blanco site.
A sign detailing the history of the site
