Editing Nevada Test Site (section)

== Areas ==
[[File:USGS NTS detonations.png|thumb|Nuclear explosions in various areas of the site<ref name="usgs2003">United States Geological Survey. [http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/ofr-03-125/ofr-03-125.pdf ''Geologic Surface Effects of Underground Nuclear Testing''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325162805/http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/ofr-03-125/ofr-03-125.pdf |date=March 25, 2009 }}. Accessed on April 18, 2009.</ref>]]
The site is broken down into areas.  Some of the areas and their uses include the following:

===Area 1===
[[File:Nevada National Security Site’s U1a Complex (51400163008).jpg|thumb|Tunnel in the U1a Complex within Area 1]]
Area&nbsp;1 held eight nuclear tests for a total of nine detonations.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" />
Four early atmospheric tests were conducted above Area 1 in the early 1950s, as well as three underground tests in 1971 and 1990. In 1955, a [[Civil Defense]] experiment (called [[Operation Cue]] in the press) studied nuclear blast effects on various building types; a few structures still stand.

Heavy drilling equipment and concrete construction facilities are sited in Area 1. Non-destructive X-ray, gamma ray, and subcritical detonation tests continue to be conducted in Area 1.

The radioactivity present on the ground in Area 1 provides a radiologically contaminated environment for the training of [[Certified first responder|first responders]].<ref>[http://www.nv.doe.gov/nationalsecurity/homelandsecurity/responder.aspx First Responder Training] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930002024/http://www.nv.doe.gov/nationalsecurity/homelandsecurity/responder.aspx |date=September 30, 2011 }}. ''US Department of Energy. Nevada Operations Office. National Security. Homeland Security''</ref>

===Area 2===
{{main|Area 2 (Nevada National Security Site)}}

Area 2 was the site of 144 tests comprising 169 detonations.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" /> A test named "Gabbs" was intended for early 1993 but was cancelled in 1992 due to a pre-emptive halt to testing based on the [[Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty]].<ref name="DOE/NV-1212"/>

===Area 3===
Area&nbsp;3 held 266 nuclear tests for a total of 288 detonations, including Upshot-Knothole 'Harry',  more than in any other area of the site.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" />

As part of [[Operation Tinderbox]], on June 24, 1980, a large satellite prototype ([[Defense Satellite Communications System#DSCS II|DSCS III]]) was subjected to radioactivity from the "Huron King" shot in a vertical line-of-sight (VLOS) test undertaken in Area&nbsp;3. This was a program to improve the database on nuclear hardening design techniques for defense satellites.

The final nuclear test detonation at site was [[Operation Julin]]'s "Divider" on September 23, 1992, just prior to the moratorium ending all nuclear testing.<ref name="Gross">{{cite journal|last1=Gross|first1=Daniel A.|title=An Aging Army|journal=Distillations|date=2016|volume=2|issue=1|pages=26–36|url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/an-aging-army|access-date=March 20, 2018|archive-date=March 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320230842/https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/an-aging-army|url-status=live}}</ref> Divider was a safety experiment test shot that was detonated at the bottom of a shaft sunk into Area&nbsp;3.

In 1995 and 1997, plutonium-contaminated soil from "Double Tracks" and "Clean Slate 1" of [[Operation Roller Coaster]] (1963) was picked up from the [[Tonopah Test Range]] and brought to the Area&nbsp;3 Radioactive Waste Management Site as a first step in eventually returning Tonopah Test Range to an environmentally neutral state. Corrective action regarding the contaminated material from the "Clean Slate&nbsp;2" and "Clean Slate 3" tests has yet to be agreed upon.<ref name="DOE/NV-1046">{{cite web |url=http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_1046.pdf |title=Plutonium Dispersal Tests at the Nevada Test Site |author=National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office |date=April 2010 |work=Fact Sheets |access-date=December 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927020910/http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_1046.pdf |archive-date=September 27, 2011 }}</ref>

===Area 4===
[[File:NTS - Big Explosives Experimental Facility.jpg|thumb|right|Big Explosives Experimental Facility (BEEF) in Area&nbsp;4]]
Area&nbsp;4 held 40 nuclear tests for a total of 44 detonations.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" />

It is home to the Big Explosives Experimental Facility (BEEF).<ref name="DOE/NV-715">''Nevada Test Site Guide'', National Nuclear Security Administration, [http://www.nv.energy.gov/library/publications/historical/DOENV_715_Rev1.pdf DOE/NV-715] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016144932/http://nv.energy.gov/library/publications/historical/DOENV_715_Rev1.pdf |date=October 16, 2011 }}</ref>

===Area 5===
{{main|Area 5 (Nevada National Security Site)}}
Area&nbsp;5 held 19 nuclear tests.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" />
Five atmospheric tests were detonated, starting on January 27, 1951, at Area&nbsp;5 as part of [[Operation Ranger]]. These were the first nuclear tests at the site. Further tower detonations were studied at Area&nbsp;5, and the ''[[Upshot-Knothole Grable|Grable]]'' shot which was fired from a [[M65 Atomic Cannon]] located in Area&nbsp;11 exploded in Area&nbsp;5. The ''[[Operation Plumbbob|Priscilla]]'' test was conducted at Area&nbsp;5 on June 24, 1957.

Five underground tests were set up at Area&nbsp;5; four of those included accidental release of radioactive materials. On March 16, 1968, physicist [[Glenn T. Seaborg]] toured the upcoming ''Milk Shake'' shot of [[Operation Crosstie]].<ref name="radiochemistry.org">[http://www.radiochemistry.org/history/nuke_tests/pdf/nts_cdrom3.pdf Radiochemistry.org. History. Nuke tests] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620161944/http://radiochemistry.org/history/nuke_tests/pdf/nts_cdrom3.pdf |date=June 20, 2010 }}. ''Nevada Test Site Images'' (cdrom 3; PDF file)</ref>
''Milk Shake''{{'}}s radioactive release was not detected outside of the site's boundaries.

===Area 6===
[[File:Device Assembly Facility 2019 extracted.jpg|thumb|Device Assembly Facility in Area&nbsp;6]]
[[File:NTS - Control Point.jpg|thumb|Control Point in Area&nbsp;6]]
Area&nbsp;6 held four nuclear tests for a total of six detonations.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" /> The area features an asphalt runway, that was constructed on top of a dirt landing strip, that had existed since the 1950s. Some buildings, including a hangar, are situated near the runway.<ref>{{cite news |url =http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada/you-know-area-51-just-what-the-world-area-6 |title =You know Area 51, but just what in the world is Area 6? |date =March 5, 2016 |access-date =March 5, 2016 |newspaper =Las Vegas Review-Journal |last =Rogers |first =Keith |archive-date =March 6, 2016 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20160306095516/http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada/you-know-area-51-just-what-the-world-area-6 |url-status =live }}</ref>

The Device Assembly Facility (DAF)<ref name="DOE/NV-715" /> was originally built to consolidate nuclear explosives assembly operations. It now serves as the Criticality Experiments Facility (CEF).

The Control Point<ref name="DOE/NV-715" /> is the communication hub of the site. It was used by controllers to trigger and monitor nuclear test explosions.

In 1982, while a live nuclear bomb was being lowered underground, the base [[Richard Mingus#Under attack|came under attack]] by armed combatants. The combatants turned out to be a security team conducting an improperly scheduled drill. {{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

More recently, an airstrip in Area 6 is in use by the Departments of Defense and Homeland security to test UAV sensors.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-05 |title=You know Area 51, but just what in the world is Area 6? |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/you-know-area-51-but-just-what-in-the-world-is-area-6/ |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=Las Vegas Review-Journal |language=en-US |archive-date=December 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205060551/https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/you-know-area-51-but-just-what-in-the-world-is-area-6/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Area 7===
Area&nbsp;7 held 92 nuclear tests.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" />

During [[Operation Buster]], four successful tests were conducted via airdrop, with bomber aircraft releasing nuclear weapons over Area&nbsp;7.

Shot "Icecap" planned for 1993 was abandoned in Area&nbsp;7 following 1992's testing moratorium. The tower, shaft and wiring remain in place, along with a crane intended to lower the nuclear test package into the shaft.<ref name="DOE/NV-1212">{{cite web |url=http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_1212.pdf |title=Icecap |author=National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office |date=January 2011 |work=Fact Sheets |access-date=December 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927020831/http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_1212.pdf |archive-date=September 27, 2011 }}</ref>

===Area 8===
[[File:Operation Emery - Baneberry.jpg|thumb|upright|Radioactive materials were accidentally released from the 1970 Baneberry shot in Area&nbsp;8.]]
Area 8 held 13 nuclear tests for a total of 15 detonations.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" />

Area 8 hosted the "Baneberry" shot of [[Operation Emery]] on December 18, 1970. The Baneberry {{convert|10|ktonTNT|abbr=on|adj=on}} test detonated {{convert|900|ft|m}} below the surface but its energy cracked the soil in unexpected ways, causing a fissure near ground zero and the failure of the shaft stemming and cap.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://asc.llnl.gov/news/news_archive/baneberry.pdf |title=Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. News Archive. Tarabay H. Antoun. ''Three Dimensional Simulation of the Baneberry Nuclear Event'' |access-date=April 24, 2010 |archive-date=May 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527170837/https://asc.llnl.gov/news/news_archive/baneberry.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> A plume of fire and dust was released, raining fallout on workers in different locations within the site. The radioactive plume released {{convert|6.7|MCi|PBq}} of radioactive material, including {{convert|80|kCi|PBq|abbr=on}} of Iodine<sup>131</sup>.<ref name="cancer.gov">{{Cite web |url=http://www.cancer.gov/i131/fallout/Chapter2.pdf |title=National Cancer Institute. National Institute of Health. ''History of the Nevada Test Site and Nuclear Testing Background'' |access-date=April 24, 2010 |archive-date=December 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101221175816/http://www.cancer.gov/i131/fallout/Chapter2.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Area 9===
Area&nbsp;9 held 115 nuclear tests for a total of 133 detonations.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" />

In Area 9, the {{convert|74|ktonTNT|abbr=on|adj=on}} "Hood" test on July 5, 1957, part of [[Operation Plumbbob]], was the largest atmospheric test ever conducted within the continental United States; nearly five times larger in yield than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. A balloon carried Hood up to 460 meters above the ground where it was detonated. Over 2,000 troops took part in the test in order to train them in conducting operations on the nuclear battlefield. {{convert|11|MCi|PBq|lk=on}} of [[iodine-131]] (<sup>131</sup>I) were released into the air.<ref name="cancer.gov" />

===Area 10===
[[File:Nevada Test Site craters.jpg|thumb|North end of Yucca Flat, where most tests have been conducted.]]
Area&nbsp;10 held 57 nuclear tests for a total of 71 detonations.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" />

The first underground test at the site was the "Uncle" shot of [[Operation Jangle]]. Uncle detonated on November 29, 1951, within a shaft sunk into Area&nbsp;10.

The "John" shot of Plumbbob, on July 19, 1957, was the first test firing of the nuclear-tipped [[AIR-2 Genie]] air-to-air rocket designed to destroy incoming enemy bombers with a nuclear explosion. The {{convert|2|ktonTNT|abbr=on|adj=on}} warhead exploded approximately three miles above five volunteers and a photographer who stood unprotected at "ground zero" in Area&nbsp;10 to show the safety of battlefield nuclear weapons to personnel on the ground.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://calitreview.com/273 |title=California Literary Review. Peter Kuran. Images from ''How To Photograph an Atomic Bomb''. (22 October 2007) |access-date=April 24, 2010 |archive-date=May 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120524175010/http://calitreview.com/273 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The test also demonstrated the ability of a fighter aircraft to deliver a nuclear-tipped rocket and avoid being destroyed in the process. A Northrop [[F-89 Scorpion|F-89J]] fired the rocket.

The [[Sedan (nuclear test)|"Sedan" test]] of [[Operation Storax]] on July 6, 1962, a {{convert|104|ktonTNT|abbr=on|adj=on}} shot for the [[Operation Plowshare]] which sought to discover whether nuclear weapons could be [[peaceful nuclear explosion|used for peaceful means]] in creating lakes, bays or canals. The explosion displaced 12 million tons of earth, creating the [[Sedan crater]] which is 1,280 feet (390 m) wide and 320 feet (100 m) deep.

===Area 11===
{{main|Area 11 (Nevada Test Site)}}
Area&nbsp;11 held 9 nuclear tests.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" />
Four of the tests were weapons safety experiments conducted as [[Project 56 (nuclear test)|Project 56]]; they spread so much radioactive material  that Area 11 has been called "Plutonium Valley". As is the case with Area 1, background radiation levels make Area 11 suitable for realistic training in methods of radiation detection.<ref name="DOE/NV-1046" />

===Area 12===
{{main|Area 12 (Nevada National Security Site)}}
Area 12 held 61 nuclear tests between 1957 and 1992, one of which involved two detonations. All tests were conducted below Rainier and Aqueduct mesas.

Area 12 was the primary location for tunnel tests and used almost exclusively for that purpose. The tunnel complexes mined into Rainier and Aqueduct Mesa include the B-, C-, D-, E-, F-, G-, I-, J-, K-, N-, P-, and T-Tunnel complexes, and the R- and S- shafts.

===Area 13===
There is no Area 13 within NNSS, though such a name is attached to a section of [[Nellis Air Force Range]] which abuts the northeastern corner of Area&nbsp;15.<ref>[http://ndep.nv.gov/boff/ffco1.htm Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. Bureau of Federal Facilities. Federal Facility Agreement & Consent Order. ''FFACO Description of Facilities''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606051915/http://ndep.nv.gov/boff/ffco1.htm |date=June 6, 2013 }}</ref> [[Project 57]]'s weapons safety test was conducted here on April 24, 1957, spreading particles emitting alpha radiation over a large area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA995165|title=Operation PLUMBBOB. Summary Report, Test Group 57, Nevada Test Site|publisher=Defense Nuclear Agency |access-date=December 18, 2010|date=October 10, 1958|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823130434/http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA995165|archive-date=August 23, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===Area 14===
Area 14 occupies approximately {{convert|26|sqmi|km2}} in the central portion of the NNSS. Various outdoor experiments are conducted in this area.<ref name="DOE/EIS-246-D">National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office, ''Draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement Nevada'', ch.2, July 2011, [http://nnsa.energy.gov/sites/default/files/nv_sweis/environmentalimpact/v1b1/Chapter%2002.pdf DOE/EIS-246-D] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018105613/http://nnsa.energy.gov/sites/default/files/nv_sweis/environmentalimpact/v1b1/Chapter%2002.pdf |date=October 18, 2011 }}</ref> No atmospheric or underground nuclear tests were conducted in Area 14.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" />

===Area 15===
[[File:NTS - EPA Farm 003.jpg|thumb|[[Environmental Protection Agency|EPA]] farm in Area&nbsp;15]]
Three underground detonations took place in area 15 in the 1960s.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" />

''Pile Driver'' was a notable [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] test. A large underground installation was built to study the survivability of hardened underground bunkers undergoing a nuclear attack. Information from the test was used in designing hardened missile silos and the [[North American Aerospace Defense Command]] facility in Colorado Springs.<ref name="DOE/NV-715" />

The abandoned Crystal and Climax mines are found in Area 15. Storage tanks hold contaminated materials.<ref name="DOE/NV-715" />

From 1964 to 1981, the [[Environmental Protection Agency]] operated a {{convert|36|acre|m2|adj=on}} experimental farm in Area&nbsp;15. Extensive plant and soil studies evaluated the uptake of pollutants in farm-grown vegetables and from the forage eaten by a dairy herd of some 30 [[Holstein Friesian cattle|Holstein cows]]. Scientists also studied horses, pigs, goats, and chickens.<ref name="DOE/NV-715" />

===Area 16===
Area&nbsp;16 held six nuclear tests.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" />

===Area 17===
No nuclear tests took place in Area&nbsp;17.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" />

===Area 18===
Area&nbsp;18 held five nuclear tests<ref name="DOE/NV-209" /> and includes the [[Pahute Mesa Airstrip]].<ref name=usgs2003 />

===Area 19===
{{Main|Pahute Mesa}}
Pahute Mesa is one of four major nuclear test regions within the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). It occupies {{convert|243|sqmi|km2}} in the northwest corner of the NNSS. The eastern section is known as Area 19 and the western section as Area 20.

A total of 85 nuclear tests were conducted in Pahute Mesa between 1965 and 1992. Three of them&nbsp;– Boxcar, Benham and Handley&nbsp;– had a yield of over one megaton. Three tests were conducted as part of [[Operation Plowshare]] and one as part of Vela Uniform.

===Area 20===
{{Main|Pahute Mesa}}
The western section of Pahute Mesa, with a portion of the 85 nuclear tests conducted in the Pahute Mesa occurring in this section.

===Area 21===
There is no Area 21 within NNSS, though such a name is attached to a section of [[Los Alamos National Laboratory]].<ref name="gizmodo.com">{{Cite web |url=https://gizmodo.com/why-is-it-called-area-51-1679175108 |title=Gizmodo. ''Why Is It Called Area 51'' |access-date=October 8, 2019 |archive-date=October 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008190428/https://gizmodo.com/why-is-it-called-area-51-1679175108 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Area 22===
No nuclear tests took place in Area&nbsp;22.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" /> Area 22 once held [[Camp Desert Rock]], a staging base for troops undergoing atmospheric nuclear blast training; as many as 9,000 troops camped there in 1955. [[Desert Rock Airport]]'s runway was enlarged to a {{convert|7500|ft|m|abbr=on}} length in 1969 by the [[United States Atomic Energy Commission|Atomic Energy Commission]]. It is a transport hub for personnel and supplies going to NNSS and also serves as an emergency landing strip.

===Area 23===
No nuclear tests took place in Area&nbsp;23.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" /> The town of [[Mercury, Nevada]] lies within Area&nbsp;23. The area is the main pathway to and from NNSS test locations by way of [[U.S. Route 95]]. An open sanitary landfill is located to the west of Mercury, and a closed hazardous waste site abuts the landfill. Mercury is also the main management area for the site which includes a bar and large cafeteria, printing plant, medical center, warehousing, fleet management, liquidation and recycling center, engineering offices, dormitories, and other administrative areas for both the O&M contractors, LLNL, LANL, and SNL personnel. At its height in the 1950s and '60s, it also held several restaurants, a bowling alley, a movie theater, and a motel.

===Area 24===
There is no Area 24 within NNSS, though such a name is attached to a satellite site of the NNSS referred to as the North Las Vegas Facility.<ref name="gizmodo.com"/>

===Area 25===
{{Main|Area 25 (Nevada National Security Site)}}

===Area 26===
[[File:Nevada Test Site - Port Gaston - 1.JPG|thumb|Mostly abandoned buildings and structures at Port Gaston]]
No nuclear tests took place in Area&nbsp;26,<ref name="DOE/NV-209" /> the most arid section of the NNSS. An old abandoned mine, the Horn Silver Mine, was used for waste disposal between 1959 and the 1970s; some of the waste is radioactive. Water flow past the shaft could pose a human health risk, so corrective action has been planned.<ref>[http://www.osti.gov/bridge/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=818649 DOE Scientific and Technical Information. ''Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 527: Horn Silver Mine, Nevada Test Site, Nevada: Revision 1 (Including Records of Technical Change No. 1, 2, 3, and 4)'' (6 December 2002) ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525092216/http://www.osti.gov/bridge/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=818649 |date=May 25, 2011 }} {{doi|10.2172/818649}}</ref>

In 1983 the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]], the [[United States Department of Energy|Department of Energy]], and the [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] performed the NUWAX-83 tests near Port Gaston in Area 26, simulating the explosion of a nuclear-armed helicopter and the resulting spread of nuclear debris over 65 acres. The radioactive material used to simulate the accident became inert in less than six months.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Associated Press|title=Nevada, US Simulate Nuclear Accident|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19830506&id=_wkwAAAAIBAJ&pg=6863,2608308&hl=en|access-date=May 13, 2015|newspaper=[[The Ledger|Lakeland Ledger]]|date=May 6, 1983|archive-date=April 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425054409/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19830506&id=_wkwAAAAIBAJ&pg=6863,2608308&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref>

An eight-square-mile complex was constructed in Area 26 in support of [[Project Pluto]].<ref name="DOE/EIS-246-D" /> It consisted of six miles of roads, the critical assembly building, the control building, the assembly and shop buildings, and utilities.<ref name="DOE/NV-763">{{cite web |url=http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_763.pdf |title=Project Pluto |author=National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office |date=April 2010 |work=Fact Sheets |access-date=December 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303003018/http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_763.pdf |archive-date=March 3, 2012 }}</ref>  Those buildings have been used recently as mock reactor facilities in the training of [[Certified first responder|first responders]].

===Area 27===
{{Main|Area 27 (Nevada National Security Site)}}

===Area 28===
Area 28 no longer exists; it was absorbed into Areas 25 and&nbsp;27.<ref name="DOE/NV-715" />

===Area 29===
No nuclear tests took place in Area&nbsp;29.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" /> The rugged terrain of Area 29 serves as a buffer between other areas of NNSS. A [[helipad]] is present at Shoshone Peak.

===Area 30===
[[File:Crosstie Buggy 001.jpg|thumb|The ''[[Crosstie Buggy]]'' test]]
Area 30 occupies approximately {{convert|59|sqmi|km2}} at the center of the western edge of the NNSS. Area 30 has rugged terrain and includes the northern reaches of Fortymile Canyon. It is used primarily for military training and exercises.<ref name="DOE/EIS-246-D" />

Area 30 was the site of a single nuclear test, the ''[[Crosstie Buggy]]'' row charge experiment, part of [[Operation Plowshare]], which involved five simultaneous detonations.<ref name="DOE/NV-209" />