Nuclear Test Shakes High-Rises 80 Miles Away From Nevada Site
The United States detonated a major nuclear device deep beneath the Nevada desert Thursday, sending a shudder through high-rise hotels 80 miles from ground zero and registering 5.8 on seismological equipment.
“It was a big one,” said Energy Department spokeswoman Barbara Yoerg, who was in a building at a control point 12 miles from ground zero. “The building was still swaying 20 seconds after detonation.”
The 5.8 reading at the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo., was one of the highest readings from a nuclear test in some time, according to center spokesman Russ Needham.
The nuclear device was buried 2,100 feet beneath the surface of Yucca Flat and was triggered at 7 a.m.
The test was announced as having an explosive force of less than 150 kilotons, the upper limit set by U.S.-Soviet treaties.
The atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima had an explosive force of 13 kilotons.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
