Seismic Calibration
A nuclear test to evaluate seismic effects of an underground explosion.
Shaft
A nuclear device exploded at the bottom of a drillad or mined vertical hole. Some safety tests were set off at the
bottom of unstemmed drilled holes, producing a “Roman candie" effect.
Storage-Transportation
Detonations of combinations of high explosives and nuclear materials designed to study distribution of nuclear
materials during accidents in several transportation and storage configurations.
Surface
A nuclear device placed on or close to the earth’s surface.
Ton
Equivalent to a ton of TNT.
Thermonuclear Device
A “hydrogen bomb.”
Tower
A nuclear device mounted at the top of a steel or wooden tower and exploded in the atmosphere.
Tunnel
A nuclear device exploded at the end of a long horizontal drift mined into a mountain or mesa in a way that places
the burst point deep within the earth.
UG
Underground nuclear test conducted in a tunnel or at the bottom of a drilled hole or shaft. Some underground
nuclear tests were not designed to contain all radioactivity; e.g., cratering tests or safety experiments.
Uw
A nuclear test conducted underwater.
Vela Uniform
Department of Defense {DoD) program designed to improve the capability to detect, identify, and locate
underground nuclear explosions.
Verification event
An event on which the Russian government exercisedits right to verify under the terms of the Threshold Test Ban
Treaty.
Weapons Effects
A nuclear test to evaluate the civil or military effects of a nuclear detonation on various targets, such as military
hardware.
Weapons Related
A nuclear detonation conducted for the purpose of testing a nuclear device intended for a specific type of weapon
system.
Yield
The total effective energy released in a nuclear explosion. It is usually expressed in terms of equivalent tonnage
of TNT required to produce the same energy release in an explosion.