UCRL 5124 Rev.

% .

U N I V E R S I T Y OF
CALIFORNIA

Radiation
J^oratoril
PHENOMENOLOGY OF CONTAINED NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS

LIVERMORE SITE
 DISCLAIMER

This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an

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Government nor any agency Thereof, nor any of their employees,
makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal
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do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States
Government or any agency thereof.
 DISCLAIMER

Portions of this document may be illegible in

electronic image products. Images are produced
from the best available original document.
 UCRL-5124 Rev. I

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
L a w r e n c e Radiation L a b o r a t o r y
Livermore, California

Contract No. W-7405-eng-48

PHENOMENOLOGY OF CONTAINED NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS

G e r a l d W. Johnson and C h a r l e s E . Violet

D e c e m b e r 1958

P r i n t e d for the U . S . Atomic E n e r g y C o m m i s s i o n

 - 2- UCRL-5124 Rev. I

PHENOMENOLOGY OF CONTAINED NUCLEAR

EXPLOSIONS*

Gerald W. Johnson and Charles E. Violet

University of California
Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, Livermore, California
December 1958

I. INTRODUCTION

On September 19, 1957, the first completely contained nuclear ex-

plosion was fired at the Nevada Test Site. The results of this explosion
12 3 4
as w^ell as its significance have been discussed in considerable detail. ' ' '
The explosion had an energy release equivalent to 1700 tons of high explo-
sive. Since one ton is defined as 109 calories the total energy release
12
was 1. 7 X 10 calories. During the month of October, 1958, several ad-
ditional underground shots were detonated at various scaled depths with
energy releases from about 100 tons to more than 20 kilotons. In this pa-
per the phenomenology of the first explosion, code name "Rainier", will
be discussed, as it is now understood. In addition, the gross results of
the jnore recent explosions will be given.

II. THE RAINIER EVENT

The Rainier detonation took place in a room 6 ft x 6 ft x 7 ft at the

end of a tunnel driven into the side of a mountain. The vertical depth of
burial was 899 ft and the distcince to the nearest point on the sloping face
/ 1/3 790
of the mountain was 790 ft. The scaled depth is given by D/W ' = TT% ~

663 ft. D is the actual depth in feet and W the energy release in kilotons.
————' 5
The geology of the mountain as determined by the USGS is charac-
terized by a cap of welded tuff about 250 ft thick which is underlain by
several layers of bedded tuffs to a depth of about 2, 000 ft. The basement
—_ .
This report is based on a joint paper given at the Fourth Annual Sym-
posium on Mining Research held at Rolla, Missouri, Nov. 13, 1958. The
work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Atomic Energy Com-
mission.
 - 3- UCRL-5124 Rev. I

r o c k is dolomite. The tuffs v a r y from unconsolidated to consolidated. The

tunnel itself was in a consolidated bed so that no shoring was r e q u i r e d .
The tunnel section was about 7 ft x 8 ft. The geological s t r u c t u r e and the
location of the shot point with r e s p e c t to the surface is shown in F i g . 1.
The a v e r a g e p r o p e r t i e s of the m e d i u m surrounding the point of det-
onation a r e l i s t e d in the following s e c t i o n s : The physical p r o p e r t i e s l i s t e d
a r e intended to r e p r e s e n t our b e s t e s t i m a t e s of the a v e r a g e p r o p e r t i e s of
the m e d i u m within 100 ft of the c e n t e r of detonation. The s a m p l e s w e r e
all collected in the vicinity of the point of detonation p r i o r to the shot. The
magnitudes often r e p r e s e n t a v e r a g e s of mieasurements m a d e by v a r i o u s
groups. 6

Density:
Bulk density in situ 1.9 - 2. 0 g / c m
Bulk density d r y 1.70 ± 0 . 1 g / c m
Water content by weight 15% - 35%
Porosity 25% - 35%
G r a i n density 2,29 ± 0 . 0 5 g / c m
Most of the w a t e r contained in the r o c k i s r e l e a s e d by heating to
llO^C. At this t e m p e r a t u r e 80% of the w a t e r is r e l e a s e d , by heating to
600''C another 18% is r e l e a s e d , and about 2% m o r e by heating to 1000°C.

Bulk Modulus:

The m e a s u r e m e n t was made at 25"'C and in the p r e s s u r e range 0 -

5000 p s i . The modulus as m e a s u r e d for j a c k e t e d sannples was the s a m e
for both d r y and s a t u r a t e d tuff and is 3. 5 x 10 dynes/cna •

Specific Heat:

The specific heat for the d r y rock in the range of 25°C to 600''C and
for ^wet r o c k in the range 25°C to 100°C •was calculated from the c h e m i c a l
composition.

D r y Rock

Temperature 25»C 100»C 200»C 400''C 600«C

Specific heat: 0.180 0.211 0.236 0.272 0.300
Ccal/g/-C|
 , I <( < » « r

DESCRIPTION OF BEDDINGS
Toso Welded tuff; rhyolite to quartz latite
Bedded tuff; mostly loosely cemented and 'sandy";
light gray to grayish brown
Welded tuff; light gray to brownish gray
Bedded tuff; well canented; light yellow green
Bedded tuff; well canented; light gray to buff, sane pink
Bedded tuff; well cemented; red at top and base, pink
to buff interbeds
Bedded tuff; mostly light gray to buff
Bedded tuff, purplish to pinkish red
Liniestone; hard, dense, crystalline; meditra to dark gray

MUL-4162 pjg^ j ^ P r o f i l e of t u n n e l s i t e w i t h g e o l o g i c c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s . Rainier Event.

 - 5 - UCRL-5124 Rev. I

S a t u r a t e d Rock
Temperature: 25''C 100®C
Specific heat: 0. 30 0. 32
(cal/g/'-C)

Specific heat for s a t u r a t e d rock does not include heat of v a p o r i z a t i o n .

Chemical A n a l y s i s ( F r a c t i o n by d r y weight);
SiO^ - 76% K^O - 5 . 0 %
Al^O^ - 13% MgO - 0 . 5 %
Fe Oj - 1.5% CaO - 1%
FeO - 0.05% CO^ - 0. z%
Na^O - 2.0%
C o m p r e s s i v e Strength:
3, 5 - 7 . O x 10 dynes/cm
T h e r m a l Conductivity (at 29.0° ± 0. 3°C):
•3
Dehydrated K = 1.70 x 10" c a l / c m sec °C
Saturated K = 2.60 x 10" cal/cm sec ' C

Sound Velocity ( m e a s u r e d in situ):

5 /
« 2. 4 X 10 cmi/sec
Petrography:

T h e r e i s a m a r k e d sinailarity in all tuff s a m p l e s taken fromi this r e -

gion of the Nevada T e s t S i t e . The p r e d o m i n a n t constituant is a m a t r i x of
f i n e - g r a i n e d z e o l i t e s including heulandite, c r i s t o b a l i t e and m o n t m o r i l l o n i t e .
L e s s than 10% by volume is r e p r e s e n t e d as p h e n o c r y s t s , mainly alkaline
feldspar.
Fusion Tests:

Cones p r e p a r e d from c r u s h e d s a m p l e s w e r e h e a t e d in a f u r n a c e . All

deformed in the range 1280 - 1300®C. On account of the l a r g e g l a s s con-
tent no g r e a t volume change would be expected on fusing.
The tunnel was t e r m i n a t e d in a s p i r a l ( F i g . 2| designed by G. T. P e l s o
8
and B . Sussholz of such d i m e n s i o n s that it was expected to s e a l itself by
collapse before any radioactive d e b r i s could p r o j e c t around the s p i r a l ctnd
out the tunnel. P r i o r t o the detonation, t h e r e was c o n s i d e r a b l e c o n c e r n
PORTAL
1

O
0 10 20
Feet
»-*
(^

<
F i g . 2. P r e shot tunnel configuration in region of detonation.
 ~ 7 ~ UCRL-5124 Rev. I

that r a d i a l fracturing e i t h e r to the tunnel or the s u r f a c e might p r e v e n t con-

tainment of the radioactive p r o d u c t s by this s i m p l e design.

III. RESULTS FROM THE RAINIER EVENT

The R a i n i e r device was detonated at 09 h r 59 m i n 5 9 . 4 5 s e c . Pacific

daylight t i m e , on S e p t e m b e r 19, 1957. The coordinates of the c e n t e r of
detonation w e r e L a t . N 37" 1 1 ' 4 4 . 8 0 " , Long.W 116" 12' 1 1 . 3 5 " , and the
elevation was 6611 ft.
F r o m the firing point at 2. 5 m i l e s few people felt any ground shock.
Some h e a r d a nnuffled boom. S c a t t e r e d r o c k s w e r e shaken loose from the
cap r o c k of the hill for d i s t a n c e s of about l / 2 nnile each side of the point
of detonation.
Inspection of the tunnel after the shot r e v e a l e d that collapse of the
tunnel had o c c u r r e d at a r a d i a l distance of 200 ft and that spalling had con-
tinued to about 400 ft. Beyond that distance to the p o r t a l , except for o c -
casional spalling t h e r e was no danaage. The total amount of spalled m a -
t e r i a l beyond 400 ft amounted to a few cubic y a r d s . At 1100 ft from the
c e n t e r of detonation t h e r e w^as a shift along a bedding plane of about 0. 35
ft.
As far as could be deternnined, the radioactivity was completely
contained, although s m a l l leaks to the s u r f a c e could have evaded d e t e c -
tion. None was d i s c o v e r e d inside the tunnel in e x c e s s of n a t u r a l b a c k -
ground (0. 04 m r / h r ) as m e a s u r e d p r i o r to the explosion, A s e a r c h using
the m o s t sensitive r a d i o c h e m i c a l techniques was m a d e for radioactive
isotopes of the r a r e g a s e s , krypton and xenon. The concentrations of
t h e s e g a s e s w e r e below the l i m i t s of detectability, n a m e l y 1 x 10 fis-
sion/ft . It is believed that no l e a k of activity o c c u r r e d to the s u r f a c e ;
however, s m a l l l e a k s naight not have b e e n detected due to high background
(20 m i l l i r o e n t g e n s / h r ) f r o m p r e v i o u s a i r b u r s t s .
A c c e l e r a t i o n and displacenaent n a e a s u r e m e n t s by the Stanford R e -
s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e , E d g e r t o n , G e r m e s h a u s e n and G r i e r , I n c . , and Sandia
Corporation ' ' indicated that d i r e c t l y above the point of detonation
the shock a r r i v e d at 146 nas and the m a x i i n u m v e r t i c a l e x c u r s i o n was 9
i n . The v e r t i c a l d i s p l a c e m e n t at h o r i z o n t a l r a d i i of 1000 ft f r o m a point
 - 8 - UCRL-5124 Rev. I

on surface d i r e c t l y above the detonation was l e s s than l / 2 in. Analysis of

all r e s u l t s indicated that a block about 100 - 200 ft thick s e p a r a t e d and
r o s e and fell as a unit. The m a x i m u m a c c e l e r a t i o n on the surface was
5. 8 g at 186 m s and the m a x i m u m d i s p l a c e m e n t of 9 in. o c c u r r e d at 350 m s .
R a i n i e r s e i s m i c effects w e r e m e a s u r e d by U . S . Coast and Geodetic
12 5
Survey and the U . S . Geological S u r v e y . S e i s m i c signals w e r e detected
at v a r i o u s stations in the continental U . S . and at d i s t a n c e s up to 1000 m i l e s .
S e i s m i c signals w^ere a l s o detected (though b a r e l y resolved) at College
Station in F a i r b a n k s , A l a s k a at a d i s t a n c e of 2200 m i l e s .
IV. PHENOMENOLOGY OF THE RAINIER EVENT
F r o m an analysis of c o r e s obtained f r o m d r i l l holes into the R a i n i e r
z e r o site as iwell as m e a s u r e m e n t s m a d e in t h e s e h o l e s , the sequence of
events i m m e d i a t e l y foUo^s^ing the explosion can be r e c o n s t r u c t e d . The
initial conditions in the z e r o r o o m can be calculated as follow^s:
. 4n-'T'4
E n e r g y density: E = E + E = 3/2 n kT +
where E = energy density in the p a r t i c l e s
E = e n e r g y density in radiation

n = -rr— = n u m b e r of p a r t i c l e s p e r c m

k = 1. 37 X 10 e r g / ° K (Boltznaann's constant)
T = T e m p e r a t u r e °K
-5 / 2 / 4
(T = 5. 74 X 10 e r g / c m /"K (Stephan-Boltzmann
constant)
c = 3x10 c m / s e c (velocity of light)
23
A = 6 . 0 3 X 10 (Avogadro's number)
M = m o l e c u l a r weight
p = density in g / c m
This can be put in the forna

E= 3 / 2 ^ k T + i ^

= 1. 25 x 1 0 ^ ^ T + 7.65 X 10"^^ T^ e r g / c m ^

The p r e s s u r e equals 2 / 3 p a r t i c l e e n e r g y density plus l / 3 r a d i a t i o n

e n e r g y density, thus
P = 0 . 8 3 x 10^ ^ T + 2 . 5 5 x lO"^^ T ^ d y n e s / c m ^
 - 9 - UCRL-5124 Rev. I

Knowledge of the e n e r g y r e l e a s e , volume and m a s s of m a t e r i a l in

the z e r o r o o m enables the calculation of initial t e m p e r a t u r e and p r e s s u r e .
19
The energy r e l e a s e of the explosion was 7. 2 x 10 e r g s (one kilo-
12 7 19
ton r e l e a s e s 10 x 4. 2 x 10 = 4 . 2 x 10 e r g s ) . Since the m a s s of m a -
6 6 3
t e r i a l in the r o o m was about 10 g (1 ton) and the volume was 7 x 10 c m ,
•2

the m e a n density was 0, 14 g / c m . At t h e s e e x t r e m e l y high t e m p e r a t u r e s

e s s e n t i a l l y all e l e c t r o n s a r e s t r i p p e d fronn nuclei and since the atomic
weight is approximately twice the a t o m i c n u m b e r , the effective m o l e c u l a r
•weight is given by:
S N. x 2 Z.
^eff * S N ' ( Z . +'I) * ^
1 1
where N.1 = n u m b e r of a t o m s of a t o m i c n u m b e r Z 1. .

The s u m m a t i o n i s taken over all a t o m s in the z e r o r o o m . T h e r e f o r e , one

can calculate that at the t i m e the energy was d i s t r i b u t e d in the r o o m the
t e m p e r a t u r e w^as about 1, 000, 000''K and the p r e s s u r e 7, 000, 000 a t m o s -
p h e r e s ( b a r s ) . The radiation p r e s s u r e at this t e m p e r a t u r e is 2500 b a r s
which is negligible c o m p a r e d with the p a r t i c l e p r e s s u r e .
The shock for about the f i r s t t h r e e feet was sufficiently strong to
v a p o r i z e the rock, and to m e l t it out to 15 ft. The r o c k was c r u s h e d out
to a radius of about 130 ft. F r o m the t i m e of a r r i v a l m e a s u r e m e n t s and
the equation of state of the m e d i u m , the p r e s s u r e vs distance can be c a l -
7 13
culated * and is given in F i g . 3.
As the shock moved outward, the r o o m expanded s p h e r i c a l l y and
r e a c h e d a r a d i u s of 55 ft in s e v e r a l m i l l i s e c o n d s . At this t i m e the cavity
was lined with about 4 in. of m e l t e d rock (that which was initially con-
tained in a s p h e r e of r a d i u s 15 ft about the c e n t e r of detonation) at a t e m -
p e r a t u r e of 1200-ISOO^C. The d e s c r i p t i o n of the state of the cavity at
t h e s e t i m e s and the m e c h a n i s m s of its collapse a r e given in detail by
2
Kennedy and Higgins. The cavity when f i r s t formed was filled with
s t e a m at a p r e s s u r e of 40 a t m o s p h e r e s w^hich is approximately the l i t h o -
static p r e s s u r e . The cavity stood long enough, between 30 s e c and 2
min, for much of the fluid r o c k to flow down the sides and to d r i p f r o m
the roof. At this t i m e the cavity began to collapse and the cavity cooled
rapidly due to expansion of the s t e a m quenching s o m e of the d r o p l e t s of
rock in free fall, as -well as some of the " i c i c l e s " as they hung suspended
 PRESSURE (BARS)

u> O
cn s« o«
JO
T-TTTTTm rnnrrmT TnTTTTfT rTTmm—r^TTTTTrr
g
t3
H

m »—. _ _ . — RADIUS OF THE ROOli —

H
m
i is
o
m
o
I
o
K
o

O
So ro
H < CRUSHW@
o
m
"^ a
H
I

3 = I g j I nil I i 1 niri JLJ-JJJiiL I»™1JJLLLU i»»ij»iiii tM

o
•30

<
 -11- UCRL-5124 Rev. I

from the cavity roof. See F i g . 4. The cavity was filled with b r o k e n r o c k
from the collapse, and the caving p r o g r e s s e d s u c c e s s i v e l y v e r t i c a l l y to
a distance of 386 ft above the point of detonation. B e c a u s e of the p r e s e n c e
of w a t e r and the l a r g e p e r m e a b l e region produced by the collapsed cavity,
the m e l t e d r o c k rapidly cooled to the t e m p e r a t u r e of boiling w a t e r 93°C
(6600 ft altitude). All of the r o c k which was initially m e l t e d converted to a
g l a s s on cooling. The g l a s s was found to contain all of the radioactive
fission products except the r a r e g a s e s . The sequence of events in the c o l -
l a p s e of the cavity i s i l l u s t r a t e d in F i g . 5.
The model d e s c r i b e d h e r e i s b a s e d on data from one d r i l l hole from
the s u r f a c e v e r t i c a l l y downward through the r e g i o n of the detonation and
from t h r e e c o r e d holes f r o m within the tunnel. Drilling v e r t i c a l l y r e v e a l e d
no radioactivity until the d r i l l b r o k e through into a 25-ft-high cavity at a
depth of 516 ft ( F i g . 5). The d i m e n s i o n s of the cavity w e r e not m e a s u r e d
but photographs taken inside the cavity indicated roughly a cone w^ith a
height of 25 ft. F r o m this point down to the c e n t e r of detonation, the r o c k
was b r o k e n and pernaeable as indicated by the failure to r e c o v e r c o r e s and
the l o s s of drilling w a t e r . H e r e for the f i r s t t i m e , a radioactive isotope
of krypton (Kr ) was detected (5-9 x 10 f i s s i o n s / f t ). The activity on the
solid m a t e r i a l w^as ""lO f i s s i o n s / c u ft. Both t h e s e levels a r e many o r d e r s
of magnitude below acceptable t o l e r a n c e l e v e l s . Drilling radially f r o m the
tunnel at different elevations r e v e a l e d a c r u s h e d i m p e r m e a b l e zone from
a r a d i u s of 130 ft to 55 ft and a p e r m e a b l e region within the 55-ft r a d i u s .
F i g u r e 6 shoves the orientation of the u n d e r g r o u n d d r i l l h o l e s .
14, 15
Logging the d r i l l e d holes for t e m p e r a t u r e and radioactivity
gave the r e s u l t s shown in F i g . 7 and 8. F r o m the facts that the r a d i o -
activity s e e m s to be c o n c e n t r a t e d in a b o w l - s h a p e d shell of r a d i u s of about
55 ft, that the t e m p e r a t u r e tends to equalize within that r a d i u s , and that
drilling w a t e r was lost within that r a d i u s , it was concluded that the initial
cavity r a d i u s was 55 ft.
Radiochemical analysis of the g l a s s and the surrounding m e d i u m
sho-wed that a l m o s t all the activity w^as t r a p p e d in this highly insoluble

The advice and a s s i s t a n c e of L . E . Shaffer, U n i v e r s i t y of California,

B e r k e l e y , in the postshot drilling p r o g r a m i s gratefully acknowledged.
 •12- UCRL-5124Rev. I

' •«|A:R«*;.»i*i*##«»a **»*=;•>, 1;C;

I • <

• I' i l nil
II 1
! I
4 ; I I i i t \ i
I

SSlETRiC 1 2 3
F i g . 4, Droplets and i c i c l e s of fuzed tuff from R a i n i e r cavity.
1-
u
yj 900 MESA SURFACE
Ik. a» 5S
z 500 —
UJ
o
400 — CAVITY
3 514 FT DEPTH
CD 386FT FROM
^
300 —. _. FUSED RADIOACTIVE DEVICE
m
> \ SHELL('-iOcm THICK)
\
BROKEN PERMEABLE
o 1 TD WATER
y. 200
o
- vJi CRUSHED
J

100 IMPERMEABLE I

a. TO WATER
0
Vt
MAJOR
130' RADIOACTIVE
CAVITY CRUSHED ZONE
ZONE C3
O
B
CAVITY BEFORE INTERMEDIATE FINAL
MHI,-4957
COLLAPSE COLLAPSE COLLAPSE

Fig. 5. Reconstructed picture of strongly affected zones surrounding detonation

point. Rainier Event.
 z LOCATION TUNNEL
PRESHOT

^Y
HOLES B,C,D
//
li
II
II
.DEVICE
LOCATION
II
\\ II
PLAN VIEW

210.5
HOLE D
7^=^DEVICE
- i ^ LOCATION C!
O
29'T
I
HOLE C HOLE B'
ELEVATION (9
<

Fig. 6. Locations of postshot drill holes.

 2000
PPW
1800-
GAMMA RADIATION INTENSITY
vs.
DISTANCE FROM DETONATION
POINT Not®: minimum
„ „, inini c n distances to @Z
—HOLE B Hoi® D Oft.
-—HOLE C Hole B 48.5
Hole C 25

-TO DRILL SITE

a
a
JO
1 ± A^A^^L,..^ I
30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 80 ijn
1-1
RADIAL DISTANCE FROM DETONATION POINT (Feet)

F i g , 7, P o s t s h o t radiation logs of holes B, C and D. Date of logging -- F e b . 11-13,

1958 (D + 146 days). <
 100 f t 200 ft.
100 f t 00ft.

100 f t 100ft.

a
o
pi
r
(_•

(6
lOOft. 200 ft. <

Fig. 8. Temperature in vertical plane surrounding the Rainier detonation point»

measured five months after detonation.
 -17- UCRL-5124 Rev. I

m a t e r i a l and a l s o that 700 tons was m e l t e d . F r o m this n u m b e r , one c a l -

culates that a 4 - i n . shell on a 55-ft r a d i u s was m e l t e d . It i s a l s o known
5
that rock will m e l t at a shock s t r e n g t h of 10 b a r s and above. A calculation,
5
using F i g . 2, of the amount of m a t e r i a l within the 10 b a r contour (15 ft)
gives a value of 760 tons which is in good a g r e e m e n t with the m o r e r e l i a b l e
radiochemical number.
F r o m the t e m p e r a t u r e of the m e l t e d r o c k (1500°C), the p r e s s u r e due
to s t e a m in the cavity can be calculated to be 40 b a r s , which can be c o m -
p a r e d with the lithostatic p r e s s u r e 50-55 b a r s . An e x p e r i m e n t a l c o n f i r m a -
2
tion of this e s t i m a t e was made by Kennedy and Higgins by heating some
of the g l a s s , which had condensed in free fall, in a vacuum furnace to
d r i v e out the g a s . F r o m the m e a s u r e d quantity of t r a p p e d g a s , it was c a l -
culated that the p r e s s u r e in the contained bubbles w^as 40 b a r s . The a g r e e -
m e n t between the computed p r e s s u r e b a s e d on the e s t i m a t e d amount of
rock fused and its w a t e r content w t h the p r e s s u r e b a s e d on m e a s u r e m e n t s
of the amount of w a t e r in the quenched g l a s s d r o p l e t s is r e m a r k a b l e .
To heat 700 tons of the tuff (20% water) to 1200-1500°C would r e q u i r e
5x10 c a l o r i e s , which is o n e - t h i r d of the total energy r e l e a s e of the
explosion. The shock, while not strong enough to m e l t the r o c k beyond
the 55-ft r a d i u s , was still strong enough to do work on and hence heat the
m e d i u m . The t e m p e r a t u r e r o s e above background at a r a d i u s of 130 ft.
I n t e g r a t i o n of the energy content of the h e a t e d rock, using the contours
of F i g . 8, shows that about one half of the total energy r e l e a s e d r e m a i n s
locally in the fornn of h e a t .
17
A study by George Morey of the action of heat and s u p e r h e a t e d
s t e a m on Oak Springs tuff r e v e a l e d that in a i r it will flow under its own
weight at 1200°C8 but even at higher t e m p e r a t u r e s it is e x t r e m e l y v i s c o u s .
A detailed d e s c r i p t i o n of the p e t r o g r a p h i c changes in the m i n e r a l as a
function of t e m p e r a t u r e up to 1200"'C is contained in his r e p o r t . An i m -
portant p o s s i b l e diagnostic effect was r e p o r t e d , nam.ely that the m i n e r a l
heulandite (Ca, Na^lO* Al^O^" 6SiO_-5H O which m a k e s up about 70% of
the m a t e r i a l , u n d e r g o e s a phase change at 290*'C which can be c l e a r l y
r e s o l v e d using x - r a y diffraction t e c h n i q u e s . The new phase h a s not yet
been identified, however, it m a y t u r n out that this effect can be u s e d
advantageously in studying tuff e x t e r n a l to the m e l t e d r e g i o n to d e t e r m i n e
 -18- UCRL-5124 Rev. I

the r a d i u s at which the m a t e r i a l was h e a t e d to 290''C. This m a y c o n t r i b -

ute m a t e r i a l l y to the understanding of the e a r l y phenomenology.
Leaching t e s t s on a n u m b e r of s a m p l e s obtained f r o m t h e fused shell
18
region w e r e conducted at Oak Ridge National L a b o r a t o r y . Specimens
w e r e c r u s h e d and sieved to divide the p a r t i c l e s into a n u m b e r of s i z e c l a s -
sifications. O n e - g r a m s a m p l e s of the c r u s h e d m a t e r i a l w^ere subjected
to leaching t e s t s at r o o m t e m p e r a t u r e w^ith 100 m l of ground w^ater from
a d r i l l hole n e a r the R a i n i e r s i t e . Since t h e s e t e s t s w e r e run using the
snaallest s i z e p a r t i c l e s (< 53 m i c r o n s ) , under s t i r r e d conditions, and
•with a 1 0 0 - t o - l weight r a t i o of w^ater to s p e c i m e n it is believed that this
should r e p r e s e n t the l e a s t favorable conditions for r e t e n t i o n of activity in
the r e s i d u e . The r e s u l t s show^ that l e s s than 0 . 5 5 p e r c e n t of the activity
was leached over a 4 8 - h o u r p e r i o d . This s m a l l amount of activity leached
u n d e r the m o s t s t r i n g e n t conditions is strong evidence that the availability
of fission product activity to the ground w a t e r s y s t e m is e x t r e m e l y s m a l l .

V. CONCLUSIONS FROM RAINIER

The radioactivity, with negligible exceptions, was all t r a p p e d in

the 700 tons of nnelted r o c k . When the cavity collapsed this m a t e r i a l fell
to the bottom of the cavity. E x p e r i m e n t s -with t h i s m a t e r i a l h a s shown
that it i s in fine solution in the g l a s s and is unavailable in amounts suffi-
cient to cause ground w a t e r contamination.
The region produced by collapse of the cavity, c o m p r i s i n g some
200, 000 t o n s , is highly p e r m e a b l e to w a t e r and is not contaminated by
radioactive d e b r i s .
The c r u s h e d region produced by the shock i s much l e s s p e r m e a b l e ;
in this m a t e r i a l the r e t u r n of w a t e r u s e d for e x p l o r a t o r y drilling was c o m -
plete. In addition, g a s e o u s radioactive fission p r o d u c t s did not p e n e t r a t e
into this region during or after the explosion.
M o r e than one half the total energy r e l e a s e of the bomb (1700 tons =
1. 7 X 10 12 c a l o r i e s ) w^as contained in r o c k initially at high t e m p e r a t u r e
(above 200*'C). B e c a u s e of the p r e s e n c e of l a r g e quantities of w a t e r and
the high p e r m e a b i l i t y of the c e n t r a l region, the h e a t r e d i s t r i b u t e d itself
to the t e m p e r a t u r e of boiling w a t e r .
 -19- UCRL-5124 Rev. I

The s e i s m i c ground shock was not felt beyond a distance of 2. 5 m i l e s .

E l e c t r i c a l cabling and e l e c t r o n i c s r e c o r d i n g s y s t e m s housed in a light m e t a l -
f r a m e building at a distance of 2, 000 ft from the c e n t e r of detonation suf-
f e r e d no damage or visually o b s e r v e d effects of any s o r t .

VI. UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR DETONATIONS OF OCTOBER, 1958

A. LOGAN
Logan was detonated at 2200 h r 0. 14 ± 0 . 0 1 s e c . P a c i f i c s t a n d a r d
t i m e , on October 15, 1958. The coordinates of the shot point a r e L a t . N
37» 11' 0 3 " and Long.W 116° 12' 04" at an altitude of 6136 ft. The total
energy r e l e a s e has not yet been m e a s u r e d but is e s t i m a t e d at 4. 5 ± 1 kt.
The device was placed at the end of a s t r a i g h t tunnel in a r o o m of dimen-
sions 31 ft long X 9 ft high x 9 ft wide. The v e r t i c a l depth of b u r i a l was
930 ft and the n e a r e s t point to the surface 830 ft ( F i g . 9). The scaled depth
was 500 ft.
The radioactive d e b r i s produced by the explosion was completely
contained. T h e r e - w a s no m e a s u r e d radioactivity e i t h e r on the s u r f a c e or
into the tunnel • The m a i n tunnel collapsed at a r a d i a l distance of 820 ft.
In a side drift for a future shot the floor displaced upward and t h e r e was
a l a r g e anaount of d e b r i s b r o k e n from the overhead at r a d i a l d i s t a n c e of
700 ft. T h e r e was a t h r u s t of 2. 5 ft at a bedding plane at a r a d i a l distance
of 1, 500 ft. The blower s y s t e m and i n s t r u m e n t s h e l t e r s in the p o r t a l a r e a
at a d i s t a n c e of 2, 700 ft w e r e undamiaged.
The ground shock was r e a d i l y felt by o b s e r v e r s at a d i s t a n c e of 2. 5
m i l e s but not at 7 m i l e s .

B. TAMALPAIS

T a m a l p a i s was f i r e d on October 8, 1958, at 1400 h r 0. 14 ± 0 . 0 1 s e c .

Pacific s t a n d a r d t i m e . The location of the point of detonation was L a t . N
37" 1 1 ' 4 3 . 10", Long.W 116* 12' 0 1 . 6 5 " and elevation 6616 iU The total
m e a s u r e d energy r e l e a s e w a s 65 ± 20 t o n s . The device was p l a c e d in a
r o o m of dimensions 20 ft x 20 ft x 17 ft high, which was lined on all s i d e s
by two feet of s a l t . T h e s a l t was introduced to give p r e l i m i n a r y d a t a of
i n t e r e s t in the planned P l o w s h a r e e x p e r i m e n t in a deep s a l t bed n e a r C a r l s b a d ,
 DESCRIPTION OF 8EDDIMSS
TOSa - WELDED TUFF; RHYOLtTE TO QUARTZ LATITE

TOSS - BEDDED TUFF; WELL CEMEHTESt LIOHT YELLOW 8REEH

T0S4 - BEDDED TUFF; WELL CIHENTED; LI6KT BRAY TO BUFF, SOME FINK

T63S - BEDDED TUFF; H(»TLY L!«HT BRAY TO BUFF

BEDDED TUFF; PURPLISH TO PtttKIBH RED

O
1

PROFILE OF TUNNEL SITE WITH GEOLOGIC

CHARACTERISTIC
0 10 W 3 0 80
"LOGAN EVENT"

a
a
^

MUX,-5924

Fig. 9. Profile of tunnel site with geologic characteristic, Logan Event.

 -21- UCRL-5124 Rev. I

New Mexico, to be conducted during the fall of 1959. The v e r t i c a l depth

was 410 ft and the n e a r e s t point to the s u r f a c e was 330 ft. The s c a l e d
depth was 825 ft ( F i g . 10). The geological formation surrounding the shot
c h a m b e r is a bedded tuff and is located in the s a m e g e n e r a l s t r a t u m as was
the R a i n i e r explosion.
Following the detonation, the tunnel collapsed and s e a l e d m o s t of the
radioactive p r o d u c t s . However, g a s e o u s fission products (isotopes of Xe
and Kr) along with w a t e r vapor, hydrogen and organic g a s e s , such as
CO, C^H/ and C^H_, e s c a p e d f r o m the z e r o r o o m into the tunnel. T h e s e
g a s e s w e r e pumped from the tunnel without leaving radioactive r e s i d u e s
of any significance. How^ever, the explosive g a s e s -were in such concen-
t r a t i o n s and amounts as to c r e a t e a h a z a r d o u s situation. Chemiical analy-
sis of these g a s e s shows that about 10 m o l e s of H^ w e r e produced. The
z e r o roonn contained l a r g e amounts of organic m a t e r i a l such as wood,
cable insulation and paraffin. It is i n t e r e s t i n g to note that all of the h y d r o -
gen could not have been produced from the paraffin. M o r e than half m u s t
have come f r o m other s o u r c e s , probably w a t e r .
The b l a s t door designed to support a static load of 75 p s i , but not
g a s - t i g h t , r e m a i n e d in place intact at a r a d i a l d i s t a n c e of 144 ft. An in-
s t r u m e n t alcove which was supported with s t e e l s e t s was undamaged at
a radial distance of 140 ft. T h e r e was no daumage to any of the tunnels
beyond this point. The n e a r e s t point to the m a i n drift, which had no s h o r -
ing, was 237 ft, and although the shock contacted the tunnel at n o r m a l in-
cidence t h e r e o c c u r r e d no damage at this point.
The s e i s m i c signal was not felt by individuals at the firing point
(2. 5 m i l e s ) .
C. NEPTUNE

Neptune was fired on October 14, 1958, at 1000 h r ± 1 s e c . Pacific

standard time. The location of the shot point was L a t . N 37" 11' 37.885",
Long.W 116° i r 5 8 . 8 8 6 " and at an elevation of 6712 ft. The total m e a s -
u r e d energy r e l e a s e was 100 ± 10 t o n s . The shot room had d i m e n s i o n s of
12 ft X 17 ft X 10 ft high. The v e r t i c a l depth was 109. 5 ft and the n e a r e s t
point to the surface was 98. 5 ft. The s c a l e d depth was 210 ft ( F i g . 11).
On detonation a l a r g e amount of m a t e r i a l was heaved out of the s l o p -
ing side of the mountain. T h e r e was s o m e venting of radioactive naaterial
(1 to 2%) at the tinae of c r a t e r f o r m a t i o n . The dimensions of the c r a t e r
a r e approximately 200 ft t r a n s v e r s e to the m e s a contour line and 150 ft
 DESCRIPTION OF SRDPtNQ^
TO»8 - WtUlBD TUFF 5 RHYOtlTE TO Q U A S T X LATITS
To*i - BEDDED TUPF J MOSTLY LOOBSUY C E M t N T E O AND "^ANOY* 5
(.IQHT ORAY TO £RAYI4H SROWH
To*4 - WELOeO T U F f ; Ll&HT GSAY TO feftowM!%M aSAV
T095 - R t D D E O ruf=f; w e u c E M e w T f i D j u a H T f s . L L o w aaa»M
To»t - BEDOfeO TUPF; W£LL C E M E N T t D ; U & H t OOAY TO a O F f , %0M« PIMK

fttOBBO T U P " ! MOSTLY LiaUT Gft&Y TO ftUFF

RBOoaO TTJPFJ PUBIPLI^M TO PINKISH fiSO

3^0<i

PROFILE OF TUNNEL SITE WiTM GE-QLOGtC

CWARACTEK15TIC5

o
T
»-«
sv

Fige 10, Profile of tunnel site with geologic characteristic, Tamalpais Event.
 BESemi'TION OF BEBBINtS
TUFF. RHYOLtTE TO OUARTZ LATITI
TUFF, MOSTLY ALL TWFFS ARE LOOSELY

TOS« - WELDED TUFF LI8HT I

TOSS -

TOS» - LIOHT BRAY TO I

PROFILE OF TUNNEL SITE WITH GEOLOGIC

CHARACTERISTIC
"NEPTUNE EVENT"

e=w jg--^

d
O

)_.
tv
* « •

ft
Fig. 11. Profile of tunnel site with geologic characteristic, Neptune Event. <
 -24- UCRL-5124 Rev. I

along the contour line by 40 ft deep. It is e s t i m a t e d that 33, 000 cu yds of

m a t e r i a l w e r e displaced down the s l o p e .
T h e r e was v e r y little radioactive contamination of the s u r f a c e expo-
s u r e of the b r o k e n rock produced by the explosion. Except for a s m a l l
spot about 40 ft x 80 ft w h e r e a jet c a m e out and w h e r e the level was up to
1 r / h o u r , the m e a s u r e d l e v e l s in and n e a r the c r a t e r 5 days after the e x -
plosion w e r e do'wn to l e s s than 100 n a r / h o u r . The explosion took place at
a r a d i a l distance of 156 ft f r o m another tunnel (Rainier) which, except for
a s m a l l amount of spallation, suffered no d a m a g e .

D. BLANCA

Blanca was fired on October 30, 1958 at 0700 h r 00. 15 ± 0. 1 s e c .

Pacific s t a n d a r d t i m e . The location of the shot point was L a t . N 37° 11'
09. 368", Long.W 116" 12' 0 7 . 280" and at an elevation of 6138 ft. The
m e a s u r e d energy r e l e a s e was 23 ± 3 kilotons. The shot r o o m was 7 ft x
8 ft X 20 ft. The v e r t i c a l depth was 988 ft and the n e a r e s t point to the
surface was 8 35 ft. Scaled depth was 290 ft ( F i g . 12).
On detonation the shock vfas c l e a r l y visible in its effect of kicking
up soil as it b r o k e through the sloping of the naountain, A l a r g e quantity
of the cap r o c k was b r o k e n loose and fell down the s i d e s of the mountain.
About 15 seconds after z e r o t i m e a plume of dust was ejected f r o m the
mountain due to the collapse of the initial cavity to the s u r f a c e . The dust
r o s e about 1000 ft and c a r r i e d s o m e radioactivity with i t . The fraction
19
of radioactivity which e s c a p e d is e s t i m a t e d to have been 0. 1% . T h e r e
was a v e r y s m a l l but detectable l e a k of radioactivity into the tunnel. The
damage to the tunnel was m o s t l y a r e p e a t of that which was done by Logan.
The m a j o r collapse was at a r a d i a l d i s t a n c e of about 850 ft. T h e r e was
a t h r u s t of about 3 ft along a bedding plane at a d i s t a n c e of 1500 ft and
movenaent of about 1 ft v e r t i c a l l y on a fault at a d i s t a n c e of 2200 ft. T h e r e
was no damage to blower installations or i n s t r u m e n t stations at the
p o r t a l at a distance of 2700 ft.
The ground shock was felt strongly by o b s e r v e r s at a d i s t a n c e of 5
m i l e s and was noticeable as a rolling effect at 16 m i l e s , but not at 20
miles. At a distance of 2 m i l e s the e a r t h nnotion was strong enough to r o c k
automiobiles violently f r o m side to s i d e .
 PESCRlPTiO?8 OF BEDDmSS
T y F F , RMYOLITI TO QUARTZ

PROPiLE OF TUNNEk-JHE. WiTH^SEOLOGIC.

MMMLEB1MJ£.
"JLANCA EVENT."

n ! I I

.•«^^s==^=«»«.

Fig. 12. Profile of tunnel site with geologic characteristic, Blanca Event.
 -26- UCRL-5124 Rev. I

Detailed r e p o r t s on each of t h e s e explosions will be p r e p a r e d and

published by University of California L a w r e n c e Radiation L a b o r a t o r y and
other participating a g e n c i e s .

VII. CONCLUSIONS

At this point it is c l e a r that for explosions in the kiloton region and

above that complete containment of all radioactive d e b r i s can be expected
for s c a l e d depths of 450 W^^^ ft although at 290 W^^^ ft only 0. 1% e s c a p e d .
F o r shallower depths sonne e s c a p e m a y be expected up to 1 to 2% for
1/3
s c a l e d depths of 210 W ft. C l o s e - i n s t r u c t u r a l damage a p p e a r s to be
l i m i t e d to d i s t a n c e s of about 1000 W 1/3 ' ft, though this d i s t a n c e will depend
on location of local planes of w e a k n e s s in the geological s t r u c t u r e .

REFERENCES
1. G . W . Johnson, G . T . P e l s o r , R . G . P r e s t o n , a n d C . E . Violet, "The
Underground N u c l e a r Detonation of Sept. 19, 1957 — R a i n i e r , O p e r a -
tion Plumbbob, " UCRL-5124, F e b . 4, 1958.
2. G. C. Kennedy and G . H . Higgins, " T e m p e r a t u r e s and P r e s s u r e s A s -
sociated with the Cavity P r o d u c e d by the R a i n i e r Event, " U C R L - 5 2 8 1 ,
July 1958.
3. H. Brown and G . W . Johnson, " N o n - M i l i t a r y Uses of N u c l e a r E x p l o -
s i o n s , " UCRL-5026, June 12, 1958.
4. G . W . Johnson, " R a i n i e r B l a s t Opens New H o r i z o n s , " Engineering
and Mining J o u r n a l , A p r i l 1958.
5. Unpublished data, c o u r t e s y of U . S . Geological S u r v e y .
6. W . H . Diment, G . V . K e l l e r , E . G . R o b e r t s o n , R . E . Wilcox, and
T. Botinelly, U . S . Geological Survey, p r i v a t e communication.
7. G . T . P e l s o r , University of California, L a w r e n c e Radiation L a b -
o r a t o r y , L i v e r m o r e , California, p r i v a t e communication.
8. B . S u s s h o l z , Space Technology L a b o r a t o r i e s , I n c . , L o s Angeles
45, California.
9. L . M . Swift, B . C . S a c h s , J . L . B r e n n e r , a n d W . M . W e l l s , "Surface
Motion f r o m an Underground Detonation, " Stanford R e s e a r c h I n s t i -
t u t e , I T R - 1 5 2 8 , Oct. 15, 1957.
 -27- UCRL-5124 R e v . I

R E F E R E N C E S (Contd.)
10. Staff of E d g e r t o n , G e r m e s h a u s e n and G r i e r , I n c . , " P h o t o g r a p h i c
A n a l y s i s of E a r t h Motion, Shot R a i n i e r , " WT-1532, May 1958.
11. W . R . P e r r e t and R . G . P r e s t o n , " P r e l i m i n a r y Sumimary R e p o r t of
Strong-Motion Measurencients from a Confined Underground N u c l e a r
Detonation, " Sandia C o r p o r a t i o n and U n i v e r s i t y of California R a d i a -
tion L a b o r a t o r y , I T R - 1 4 9 9 , June 15, 1958.
12. D . S . C a r d e r , W.K. Cloud, L . M . Murphy, a n d J . H . H e r s h b e r g e r ,
"Surface Motions from an Underground Explosion, " U . S . Coast and
Geodetic Survey, WT-1530 (to be published).
13. S. Cohn, A. Hoehn, R . G . Dickens, F . B . P o r z e l , T . Schiffman,
S. Hoenig, N. Wilde, and C. G r e e n b e r g , " C l o s e - I n T i m e - o f - A r r i v a l
M e a s u r e m e n t s for Yield of U6 Shot, " A r m o u r R e s e a r c h F o u n d a t i o n ,
W T - 1 4 9 5 , (to be published).
14. D . E . N i e l s e n , U n i v e r s i t y of California, L a w r e n c e Radiation L a b o r a -
t o r y , p r i v a t e communication.
15. B . Ragent, Broadview R e s e a r c h C o r p . , B u r l i n g a m e , California, p r i -
vate communication.
16. R . H . G o e c k e r m a n , U n i v e r s i t y of California, L a w r e n c e Radiation L a b -
o r a t o r y , p r i v a t e communication.
17. G . W . M o r e y , U . S . Geological Survey, p r i v a t e contimunication.
18. F . R . B r u c e , W . D . Bond, a n d W . E . C l a r k , Oak Ridge National L a b -
oratory, private communication.
19. A. Vay Shelton, J r . , U n i v e r s i t y of California, L a w r e n c e Radiation
L a b o r a t o r y , p r i v a t e comimunication.
20. G. H. Higgins, U n i v e r s i t y of C a l i f o r n i a , L a w r e n c e Radiation L a b -
oratory, private communication.

Note: ITR and WT n u m b e r e d r e p o r t s m a y be obtained by writing to: AEC

T e c h n i c a l Information S e r v i c e Extension, P . O. Box 4 0 1 , Oak R i d g e ,
Tenn. , o r . Office of T e c h n i c a l S e r v i c e s , Departnaent of C o m m e r c e ,
Washington 25, D . C .

/jm
 L E G A L NOTICE
This r e p o r t w a s p r e p a r e d a s an account of G o v e r n m e n t s p o n s o r e d
w o r k . N e i t h e r the United S t a t e s , n o r the C o m m i s s i o n , n o r any p e r s o n
acting on behalf of the C o m m i s s i o n :

A . M a k e s any w a r r a n t y o r r e p r e s e n t a t i o n , e x p r e s s o r i m p l i e d ,
with r e s p e c t to the a c c u r a c y , c o m p l e t e n e s s , o r u s e f u l n e s s of the
i n f o r m a t i o n contained in t h i s r e p o r t , o r that the u s e of any i n f o r m a t i o n ,
a p p a r a t u s , method, o r p r o c e s s d i s c l o s e d in t h i s r e p o r t m a y not infringe
p r i v a t e l y owned r i g h t s ; o r
B . A s s u m e s any l i a b i l i t i e s with r e s p e c t to the u s e of, o r for
d a m a g e s r e s u l t i n g f r o m the u s e of any information, a p p a r a t u s , method,
o r p r o c e s s d i s c l o s e d in t h i s r e p o r t .
A s u s e d in the above, " p e r s o n acting on behalf of the C o m m i s s i o n "
includes any e m p l o y e e o r c o n t r a c t o r of the C o m m i s s i o n to the extent that
such e m p l o y e e o r c o n t r a c t o r p r e p a r e s , h a n d l e s o r d i s t r i b u t e s , o r p r o -
vides a c c e s s to, any information p u r s u a n t to h i s e m p l o y m e n t o r c o n t r a c t
with the C o m m i s s i o n .

P r i c e $ 1 . 00. Available f r o m the Office of

Technical S e r v i c e s , D e p a r t m e n t of C o m m e r c e ,
Washington 25, D. C«