Project Shoal tested whether seismic signals from a nuclear detonation could be distinguished from natural earthquakes, supporting nuclear test detection research.
Key Facts
- Test date
- October 26, 1963
- Device yield
- 12 kilotons
- Depth of detonation
- 1,211 feet
- Rock formation
- Granite
- Distance from Fallon, NV
- 30 miles
- Sponsoring program
- Vela Uniform (DoD & AEC)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Cold War, the U.S. needed reliable methods to detect clandestine underground nuclear tests by adversaries. The Vela Uniform program was established jointly by the Department of Defense and the Atomic Energy Commission to develop seismic detection techniques that could distinguish nuclear detonations from natural earthquakes.
On October 26, 1963, a 12-kiloton nuclear device was detonated in granitic rock at approximately 1,211 feet below the Sand Springs Range, about 30 miles southeast of Fallon, Nevada. The site was chosen for its natural seismic activity, enabling direct comparison of the test's seismic traces with those from prior earthquakes.
The seismic data gathered from Project Shoal contributed to Vela Uniform's broader effort to build a scientific basis for identifying and differentiating underground nuclear explosions from natural seismic events, informing future arms control verification methods and nuclear test monitoring protocols.