the operetional success of the free-floating buoy station phase was
sufficient to engourage the emcloyment of this fallout sampling technique at CASTLE M/) IVY provided valuable data on the extent of the
crosswind and upwind fallout and on the nature of the contaminant to be
expected from the land surface Jetonations at CASTLE,
1.1.2

High Explosive Tests

fallout.

Six high explosive field tests have been conducted to study

Charges varying from 250 to 50,000 1b of TNT were fired.

Emphasis has been placed on shallow underwater explosions.16/ Of a total
of 38 shots, 26 were fired in shallow water; 5 in deep water; and 7 on

land, both surface and underground.

Non-radioactive cobalt and lithium

were incorporated in the charges to trace the explosion products. Variables under study include energy yield, charge depth, explosion media,

and wins.

1.2

JBJSCTIVES

The surface detonations of thermonuclear devices at Operation
CASTLE were expected +o produce significant fallout over considerable

portions of the ocean at the Pacific Proving Ground.

The primary pur-

pose of Project 2.5a was to document these fallout areas and deternine
the militarily important radiation fields which would have resulted had
all of the material been deposited on land. Specifically, Project 2.5a
was designed to determine the following information for selected shots:
a, Time and rate of fallout and final distribution patterns,
b. Particle size ranges of fallout with respect to time and
distance,
c. Amount and distributionaf radioactive materials in fallout.
d. Gross gamma decay rates,
The gathering of fallout data at CASTLE was a logical extension of
previous fallout documentation, Vuriation in proposed yields as well as
the opportunity to document surface water detonations for the first time
made the study of fallout in this operation extremely important.

20

Select target paragraph3