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Date: 11:00 06/11/1971 |
Type: subsurface @-1.8Km |
Yield: 5Mt
Project Cannikin was a nuclear test conducted on Amchitka Island, Alaska, at 11:00 a.m., Bering Standard Time, on November 6, 1971. It was the largest underground nuclear test conducted in the United States, registering 7.0 on the Richter-scale and causing the ground to jump up by 5 meters. Cannikin was intended to test the design of the Spartan anti-ballistic missile (ABM) interceptor – a high-yield warhead that "produced copious amounts of x-rays and minimized fission output and debris to prevent blackout of ABM radar systems. The test would "measure the yield of the device, measure the x-ray flux and spectrum, and assure deployment of a reliable design.. The test caused huge amounts of damage to the coastline and was largely instrumental in the formation of Greenpeace.
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