:
order of SM
-
3
~
During the 1957 PLUMBOB and 1958 NARDTACK II series at
the Nevada lest Site a number of small yield nuclear devices were detonnted
at the bottom of drilled holes.
In contrast to the stemming practices of
today these holes only contained one or more cement plugs between the
device and the ground surface.
Four of these events, PASCAL A, OTERO,
BERNALILLO, and VALENCIA had senled depths of burial ranging from 3800 pes
to 1360 wl3.
(Use of scaled depth may not be strictly appropriate here).
The maximum fraction of the total activity produced by these detonations
which was deposited in the local fallout pattern was about 5.5%.
Fallout
fractions resulting from accidental ventings of detonations designed for
complete containment, including line of sight and tunnel events, have not
exceeded this number.
(Final determination of the fallout fraction for
BANEBERRY has not as yet been completed).
The occurrence of a massive venting of an underground detonation designed
for complete containment is accidental and unpredictable.
For safety
reasons, therefore, it has been the practice for many years, and currently
is common practice, to assume that for essentially all underground detonations
of this type, a prompt massive venting is credible.
Current fallout
prediction procedures are based upon this assumption.
Current Fallout Prediction Procedures
The currently employed fallout prediction technique was derived by modification
of a method originally developed by the Special Projects Section ,
The original method was based primarily on fallout
tee ee
Weather Bureau, in 1955.
U. 5S.
data from tower shots in Nevada and has been described by Nagler, Machta,
and Pooler (1),
The modification of this method has been reported in detail
by Cluff and Polmer (2) and ite application has been discussed by Mueller (3,
and Morrell (5).
te neo errant eeumpmae
_
4