-TJ- period from 1946 to 1958. At Bikini there were a total of 23 nuclear tests conducted, most of them on barges anchored either in the lagoon or on the exterior reef. Normally there - would not have been very much radioactive contaminiation of the land surfaces of the atoll, but on March 1, 1954 there was considerable radioactive fallout from the thermonuclear. explosion known as the Bravo test of the Castle series. This was the second experimental thermonuclear device constructed and detonated by the United States, the first having been the Mike explosion of the Ivy series at Enewetak in 1952. These atolls had been chosen, among other reasons, for their remoteness and the prevailing northeasterly winds, but on this occasion there was an unfortunate “combination of circumstances involving the energy yield of the explosion, the height of burst, the nature of the surface below the point of burst, the wind system over a large area and to a great height, and other meteorological conditions.“ ed. The Effects of Nuclear Weapons 464 5S. Glasstone, (rev. ed. 1962). In particular, the upper level wind direction was miscalculated and substantial amounts of radioactive fallout were deposited on the eastern rim of the Bikini atoll and significant amounts were detected as far away as 300 miles east of Bikini. Id. 462. Within the first 96 hours following the detonation, Bikini island at Bikini atoll received at least 2100 roentgens. Id. 462.