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Underground Nuclear Testing visible via Google Maps!!!

maps.google.com — I was looking at the Earth with Google Maps and I found what I believed to be Area 51, but when I scrolled down and to the left, I discovered what is obviously where nuclear weapons were tested underground...I submitted this same story 133 days ago (lol) because I thought it was really cool, unfortunately, no one saw it, so I decided to resubmit...

Bury
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  • jhshukla, on 10/12/2007, -15/+32how can you be sure that these are not simply really big conventional bombs. the biggest crater (north center) is about 400m wide i.e. diameter. MOAB (search youtube) produces (i believe) a blast radius of ~1500 yards. or it could be half of that. still that is almost 2x bigger than 400m wide crater.
    • MacSawD, on 10/12/2007, -9/+57Most of the nuclear testing that I believe was done there was underground, the explosions were very large but mostly contained by the ground. They could be conventional weapons, but, conventional weapons don't usually leave craters that survive years or weather and water erosion. They also don't create much glass, and from the pictures, the black material inside the craters reminds me of lightning glass, the kind of glass you find on the beach after a lightning storm or whatnot.

      To be honest, I just thought they were cool, and at the time, thought Nukes could only be responsible for such dirt displacement :D
    • david76, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11I suspect the blast radius is reduced because it's detonated underground. What you see is the radius of ground which was upheaved due to the detonation. Since ground is more dense than air, the blast radius is smaller.
    • glock22ownr, on 10/12/2007, -6/+167 US Government Rental Property For Sale ! Don't Miss This Glowing Opportunity !
    • bbnkstr, on 10/12/2007, -29/+14Stop spreading rumors concerning weapons of mass destruction on the, uh, Internets.
    • andyrobo60, on 10/12/2007, -31/+5Looks like a few craters in the ground to me. Looks like a normal bomb range. If it was something like a nuclear test site I think google would blur it out.
    • skydivingdutch, on 10/12/2007, -3/+23The land where the giant mushrooms grow.
    • Kbennett, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Based on the lack of the typical bomb blast characteristics (e.g. evidence of debris from outward explosions and raised rims) these craters appear to share the outward appearance of a sinkhole; which would suggest underground explosions. I have no idea what size crater a nuclear device would create when detonated underground, but testing ordinance underground is usually reserved for non conventional weapons. An interesting find to be sure.
    • jeffness, on 10/12/2007, -10/+8I don't know whether these could be underground nuclear tests. One would think the amount of radiation introduced to the site would make so many tests difficult to do at one site. Being underground doesn't prevent the radiation from "leaking" or contaminating the surrounding area, does it?

      Plus it is only 3 to 5 miles north of groom lake (area 51), which would put it dangerously close to potential radiation sources. I don't buy this as an underground nuclear test site, but perhaps something else.

      Besides all of the reasons above, more information is needed to assume these craters are representative of nuclear tests; we can't just assume it as that would be irresponsible.
    • skydivingdutch, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9Actually I am pretty sure that is underground nuke testing. I once saw a discovery channel episode on it, and that is pretty much what the aftermath looked like.
    • mikesbaker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+32"how can you be sure that these are not simply really big conventional bombs?"
      This is how.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_Test_Site
    • DrDoak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@mikesbaker

      Thank you for the above link.
      That wiki article, if everyone still hasn't NOTICED... links to almost _exactly_ the same area: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.051606,-116.030388&spn=0.11,0.18
    • mrloco, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2These are collapsed nuke sites, when you blow up a nuke underground it leaves a cave, it then collapses forming these "craters".
    • directedition, on 10/12/2007, -15/+2I seriously doubt there are nuclear tests visible here. An underground test would create fissures radiating from a single point. You would NOT get a crater from an underground test.
    • laserman92027, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I worked at the test site in the 70's. Trust me those are weapon craters. HUGE tractor mounted drilling rigs (think shuttle crawler) moved giant drilling rigs around that area. Monstrous drill rigs dug GIANT holes in the ground. A device was more than 100 feet tall with the instrument package and very large in diameter. While the weapons were not anywhere that big the test gear was (at least that is what I surmised. They kept them in building next to the drill site hidden from view. Once the hole was ready a huge crane was brought in. It had a 2 million lb lifting capacity if I remember right. The devise was then moved into the hole while the site was cleared of unnecessary people. The next day we came back and hooked the instrumentation cables to the device package. It was then lowered down hole. The cables (mostly coax) were supported by wire cable so it wouldn't break under its own weight. I never saw the back fill as that was also secret and need to know. Another crew did it. Then all the telemetry gear was moved in (semi mounted), the site was cleared and it was fired. The test data was recorded and store on high speed data loggers in the trailer and also flashed back by microwave to a safe place. There as one test that leaked but that was a rumor.
    • fourletters, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1dudes. these are circular dry farms. they harvest wheat in circles in the desert. they plant, then water once, and then come back to harvest.
    • Trogdor420, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"dudes. these are circular dry farms. they harvest wheat in circles in the desert. they plant, then water once, and then come back to harvest."

      Dude, you have GOT to be kidding me. This is not any form of agriculture, it is a well known former nuclear test site.

    • Trogdor420, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1A word of apology to fourletters. A further scan of the area did reveal circular irrigation pivot patterns HOWEVER this is not what the submitter was referring to.
  • VforMe, on 10/12/2007, -43/+9Thanks! I really like to find interesting places in goggle earth
    Dugg!
    • bbnkstr, on 10/12/2007, -7/+14Google*
    • Diggs, on 10/12/2007, -4/+12I prefer goggle
    • rdurrette, on 10/12/2007, -18/+0idiot
    • vertinox, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9Yeah. When when the bomb goes off, I'd prefer a nice set of goggles too.

      Of course 3 inches of lead and/or 2 meters of concrete would be better.
    • threepio, on 10/12/2007, -0/+31MY EYES!!!! These GOGGLES do NOTHING!!
    • crysys, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2But the goggle does nothing.


      edit -- dammit, threepio beat me.
    • UltraNurd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3You have to get the accent right.

      "Ze goggles, zey do nosink!"
    • nick2354, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2your a douche bag.
    • Nurjle, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0What about his a douche bag?
  • t00lman, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site
    http://www.nv.doe.gov

    Pictures and films can be ordered from them too.
  • sugarbearcsa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+58If you open google maps to this location. Turn on google Earth Community layer. People have list every crater that is a know bomb or nuke bomb and some information on it... Here a screen shot with the information from the big one at the top

    http://farm1.static.flickr.com/151/342291517_99c92c734d_o.jpg
    • MacSawD, on 10/12/2007, -10/+3Sweet.
    • DaTaylorM, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Thats for that additional info. I didn't know you could find that info directly in Google Earth. I'm going to have to revisit using it. Seems like its now an even bigger gold mine of info that I realized.
  • nkooiker, on 10/12/2007, -23/+4This is probably where NASA recorded the "moonlanding" videos ;)
    • epiccollision, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1umm no...if anything it would be the cratery(??) area nearer area 51...if anything
  • DanAtkinson, on 10/12/2007, -24/+7Buried as a duplicate story! :D
  • tralalaa, on 10/12/2007, -38/+1How is it tested underground if there's a crater on the surface?
    • vizerei, on 10/12/2007, -44/+3/signed

      there are films of underground blasts, they don't leave standard craters, dugg down as innaccurate.

      Mac, don't pretend to be a nuclear arms expert, it was likely a conventional ballistics test. I have plenty of friends in the military and defense agencies who go out west to test new bombs all the time.
    • chrono13, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20My friend 'Reality' says your friend sucks:

      "The Yucca Flat area of the Nevada Test Site is scarred with subsidence craters from underground nuclear testing."

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Nevada_Test_Site_craters.jpg

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsidence_craters
    • noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -18/+9Bury bomb in ground.... detonate.... big hole in ground.


      ???


      Profit?
    • david76, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3@virerei

      They don't leave standard craters because the ground gets pushed up from the blast and when it falls back down it displaces less space than before the blast. There are plenty of videos of under ground nuclear tests which demonstrate this affect.

      The link below has additional information about underground nuclear tests in Nevada.
      http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10594/
    • Krutch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@Vizerei

      Did you look at the crater linked up above from the Nevada Test site page. Looks like a conventional crater to me. And what do you know, it was created form a 100kt explosive buried 635 feet into the ground.

      http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/photos/photodetails.aspx?ID=799


      Crater
      DESCRIPTION: Sedan Crater was formed when a 100 kt. Explosive buried under 635 feet of desert alluvium was fired at the NTS on July 6, 1962, displacing 12 million tons of earth. The crater is 320 feet deep and 1,280 feet in diameter.
      DATE:
    • tulsakev, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8These aren't impact craters, like what you get from a meteor impact. They are subsidence craters. when the bomb is detonated underground, it vaporizes many thousands of tons of rock and soil. Vaporized rock takes up way less space than the solid kind. This causes a very large and essentially empty void in the earth. The overlying soil then collapses and sinks in to fill the void. Instant crater.
    • _Ty_, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4 tulsakev -" Vaporized rock takes up way less space than the solid kind."

      Ha ha, best quote of the day! Science rules!!
  • gagravaar, on 10/12/2007, -5/+26Poor Earth...
  • nate5182, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4What are those green circles just to the north?
  • JorgeGonzalez, on 10/12/2007, -7/+5Can someone tell me WTF I'm looking at?
  • sparkyarch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3DIGG for the link to http://www.nv.doe.gov Underground Testing photo section...
  • thorndike, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4nate5182, those are irrigation circles. These are formed by large sprinkler 'boom' (don't know the real term) that is anchored at one end. When the sprinkler is activated, it pivots around the anchored end and forms a perfect circle.

    Thorndike
    • JimDinger, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Thanks you just solved a huge ass mystery for me.
    • rdurrette, on 10/12/2007, -8/+0That's incorrect. Those are, in reality, explosive test sites...although whether or not all of them are nuclear is up in the air.
  • mutatron, on 10/12/2007, -16/+2Buried as inaccurate for the three exclamation marks. Sure, you can see where they tested the bombs. Didn't you already know that?
  • eatsleepbreathe, on 10/12/2007, -25/+0So much for the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't we supposed to be slowly reducing the number of warheads and not testing or building a new breed? More double standards that can only lead us towards a world nuclear war.
    • Misogyny, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5These are probably decades old.
    • SkippyDoorknob, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Those are not new craters.
    • mutatron, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7If you look at Nevada in Google Earth and turn on the "Google Earth Community" checkbox, you can see a bunch of information markers which some enthusiastic GE users have kindly contributed. If you mouse over the "i" to get the name, you'll see that many of them are nuclear tests. If you click on the "i", it tells you the date of the test. A cursory examination shows the latest one to have been in 1991.
  • BenGriffiths, on 10/12/2007, -35/+1Seen these on tv before its not a nuclear site but an astrode from about 12,000,000 years ago
    • waveman216, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Read comments above, then decide if your comment is even relevant.
    • drbroccoli, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Those would be meteorites, not asteroids. And that's a hell of a lot of 'asteroids' in one place.
  • olystice, on 10/12/2007, -15/+3Lol, you crazy kids and your Google Earth.

    We know weapons were tested in NV, NM and the like. Digg something worthwhile

    Look at the craters on the moon if you want to see some craters.
  • billygoatzz, on 10/12/2007, -14/+13Buried as inaccurate, these are alien warp pods, used in the galactic war of 2023
  • pepito, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Why do you need to look for Area 51? If you type Area 51 into google maps it jumps you right there...
  • supershawn, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4What you believed to be Area 51? You do realize that you can simply type in "area 51" and it takes you right to it, right?

    never mind- someone beat me to it.
  • tulsakev, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15What I find most amazing is the number of people who have left comments doubting that these features are actually the result of underground nuclear testing. That’s almost as out of touch with reality as to deny the holocaust or that we actually put people on the moon. I can only figure that these commentors are either too young to remember the nuclear testing that went on in the Nevada desert or else they slept through history class. No. These craters are not the result of conventional bombs or irrigation
    • mutatron, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9All the historical comments such as yours are being dugg down. I think this means the average age of people reading this page is probably 12.4. Maybe they haven't had any US history classes yet?
    • Nothlit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Just so you know, the people who were discussing irrigation were in fact talking about some green patches of crops found to the north of the craters.
    • mapkinase, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Buried for Holocaust abuse. I think it is time to add this to "Hitler" moment in discussions.
  • pixelguru, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8When you're done visiting the scars of the US nuclear program, have a look at the ghostly hulk of what is left of the Chernobyl reactor:
    http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=chernobyl,+russia&sll=39.718325,-75.703445&sspn=0.024692,0.02974&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=51.389405,30.099438&spn=0.005008,0.010954&t=k&om=1
  • TimmyGUNZ, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2Dupe!
  • planetmatt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Any news on GoogleMaps community as to where the Atari ET cart landfill is?
  • homeskillet77, on 10/12/2007, -19/+0It's obviously NOT an "underground nuclear test site". But that's alright, good try. It IS obvious that you aren't from a military background ( like me ) because it IS obviously an impact range,,,,you know ( oh wait you don't ) from projectile weaponry. I bet you think there was a guy on the grassy knoll too!!!!
  • Trixrox, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2There are lots of *neat* features around that area. Some features that resemble dirt runways too, I really dont get it. These images are so clear too, I think google did it on purpose :P

    http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=area+51&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&z=18&ll=37.244776,-115.819792&spn=0.003186,0.006748

    http://maps.google.com/maps?q=las+vegas+nevada&ll=37.406795,-116.235287&spn=0.011523,0.015364&t=k&hl=en

    http://maps.google.com/maps?q=las+vegas+nevada&ll=37.488956,-116.232004&spn=0.046091,0.061455&t=k&hl=en

    http://maps.google.com/maps?q=las+vegas+nevada&ll=37.407331,-116.232755&spn=0.011523,0.015364&t=k&hl=en

    http://maps.google.com/maps?q=las+vegas+nevada&ll=37.410507,-116.220932&spn=0.184364,0.245819&t=k&hl=en

    http://maps.google.com/maps?q=las+vegas+nevada&ll=37.240219,-115.811520&spn=0.092182,0.122910&t=k&hl=en
  • NccWarp9, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1They came from the desert.....
    just imagine all the possible mutations ....
    Real nice example of unintelligent jet seemingly intelligent design
  • blackjack75, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2There are so many dupes on digg these days, that now you have to cry dupe in the story itself.
    • rrasco, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I am trying to figure out how close all these dupes must of been to the actual testing to not realize there is proof they are nuke sites. Its not like anyone is hiding it, look at the links, they said, we tested nukes this day, that day, oh and this one too. and you still dont believe it. you probably still think you are not adopted either.
  • theghost, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0that is a picture of the army's aircraft target acquisition proving grounds. http://www.yuma.army.mil/location.html
    • Donnageddon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2That's not even the correct state!
  • theghost, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0Oh; and those craters actually look like "jdam" impact sites.
  • edopter, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Google Earth Remix

    http://www.edopter.com/googleearthremix.jpg
  • keimel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Anyone notice the smiley face crater?

    http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&om=1&z=18&ll=37.147798,-116.044003&spn=0.002972,0.003648&t=k

  • blackrock, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Check out this map. Really close by. Look how uniformly the craters are laid out. There are even roads going to the blast sites. There would have to be in order to drill down for an underground blast.

    http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=&ie=UTF8&z=15&ll=37.043771,-116.024508&spn=0.021649,0.047035&t=h&om=1
  • u2wedge, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1what's kind of weird is the runway toward the bottom of the original poster's link. There is no place for planes to go except in and out of the one single runway, and it's really black compared to the other roads in the area. Weird.
    • sybersnake, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That runway has a hanger and about six spots for planes; what are you talking about?
  • sybersnake, on 10/12/2007, -0/+137°07'N 116°03'W is just slightly north of the poster's original link and yes that is NOT area 51.
  • rdurrette, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0This would actually be cool if the DOE didn't already have pictures...from ground level...available publicly on its website...

    http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/photos/craters.aspx

  • constantly, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Approximately the same area, in Wikimapia:

    http://wikimapia.org/#y=37122823&x=-116058540&z=12&l=0&m=a&v=2

  • smittyfree, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Ohhh, we stumbled upon the Nevada Test Site! Which everyone already know's about...
  • thxman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That's the Nevada test site. Over 1100 nukes tested there above and below ground by the AEC between the late 50's and 1992 when Clinton put a stop to all underground testing.
  • GamerzCorner, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I think it's kind of strange if you go up and right (following the roads) you see a series of green circles covering something...odd...wonder whats under those bad boys!
  • dreadsword, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1What is this all about??

    http://maps.google.com/maps?q=las+vegas+nevada&hl=en&ie=UTF8&z=18&ll=37.487659,-116.227959&spn=0.002912,0.006781&t=k&om=1&iwloc=addr
    • RatTrap, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1looks like the map was edited but those look like high voltage power line towers.
    • MacSawD, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That looks like a firing range for airborne weapons >.>

      That's just what it looks like to me.
  • GamingNews, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1More conspiracy theorist hubub. On what basis do you draw the conclusion that these blasts were either nuclear or underground? This is just stupid.
    • lacronicus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2well, its a simple conclusion based upon the fact that we know both have and do happen. I personally have seen videos of underground nuclear explosions, and i have no doubt that this could be one of them. its not even all that unrealistic, let alone a conspiracy theory.
  • Karmalary, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Here's the Nevada Test Site on Flash Earth.

    http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=37.157062&lon=-116.071226&z=13.5&r=0&src=ggl
  • orangekid13, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2holy ***** i didn't know we ever tested that many...

    that test site is a billboard to the world... "DON'T ***** WITH US OR WE CAN ***** YOU UP AND END THE WORLD!!!"
  • lacronicus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1dugg down, dupe.
    j/k j/k
    but really, this is pretty cool.
  • GooksBirman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0please tell me that I'm not the only one that realizes that if you look just a little to the NE you can see what's rumored to be "area 51"
  • nmeadata, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Sure you can see area 51, what so you suppose this is
    http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=tonopah+nevada&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=37.833522,-116.726485&spn=0.003923,0.010815&t=h&om=1
    • nmeadata, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Sorry to confuse, this is tonopah NV test site but any idea what that symbol means?
      Bomb here?
  • cTTbLaKeMAn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0thats old news. my buddy and i found that as soon as Google Earth came out.
  • datcrazydj, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&om=1&z=17&ll=36.928574,-116.007954&spn=0.005781,0.006191&t=h

    I'm pretty sure this ain't Area 51...
  • OMightyColumbia, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Let everyone keep in mind that Nellis is one of the largest air force bases in the States. Its not uncommon for the wastelands to have multiple experiments taken on them. What we see is most likely a combination of both subterranean detonations as well as the air force bombing proving grounds.
  • JFBP4991, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0I have already seen this. those are no nukes. just regular bombs.
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