This database covers United States nuclear tests from 1945 to 1992 (in three parts) and hydrodynamic tests.

Statistics on United States nuclear tests

U.S. nuclear tests (see below for definitions)
year	nuclear tests			notes
	above ground	underground	total
1945	1		1	excludes 2 combat uses, above ground
1946	2		2
1947
1948	3		3
1949
1950
1951	15	1	16
1952	10		10
1953	11		11
1954	6		6
1955	14 (17)	1	15	excludes 3 zero-yield above ground shots
1956	18		18
1957	25 (27)	4 (5)	29 (32)	excludes 3 zero-yield shots (2 above ground, 1 underground)
1958	57 (62)	14 (15)	71 (77)	excludes 6 zero-yield shots (5 above ground, 1 underground)
1959
1960
1961		10	10
1962	39	57	96
1963	0 (4)	43	43	excludes 4 zero-yield above ground events
1964		45	45
1965		38	38
1966		48	48
1967		42	42
1968		56	56
1969		46	46
1970		39	39
1971		24	24
1972		27	27
1973		24	24
1974		22	22
1975		22	22
1976		20	20
1977		20	20
1978		18 (19)	18 (19)	excludes 1 zero-yield underground event
1979		15	15
1980		14	14
1981		16	16
1982		17 (18)	17 (18)	counts as 1 test two simultaneous underground shots
1983		18	18
1984		18	18
1985		17	17
1986		14	14
1987		14	14
1988		14 (15)	14 (15)	counts as 1 test two simultaneous underground shots
1989		11	11
1990		8	8
1991		7	7
1992		6	6
TOTAL	201 (215)	810 (815)	1,011 (1,030)

Here, one "test" is one or more detonations of nuclear yield over 10 kg TNT equivalent, with any multiple detonations within 0.1 seconds in time and 1 km in ground zero location. The United States counts 17 additional zero-yield shots as tests, and counts two pairs of shots as separate tests (these are noted above). Parenthetical values are counts as reported by the United States, where they differ.

Above ground tests include surface bursts, atmospheric bursts, underwater bursts, and exoatmospheric bursts. Underground tests include cratering bursts as well as contained underground bursts.

U.S. nuclear explosions (see below for definitions)
year	nuclear explosions			notes
	above ground	underground	total
1945	3		3	includes 2 combat explosions, above ground
1946	2		2
1947
1948	3		3
1949
1950
1951	15	1	16
1952	10		10
1953	11		11
1954	6		6
1955	14 (17)	1	15 (18)	excludes 3 zero-yield above ground shots
1956	18		18
1957	25 (27)	4 (5)	29 (32)	excludes 3 zero-yield shots (2 above ground, 1 underground)
1958	57 (62)	14 (15)	71 (77)	excludes 6 zero-yield shots (5 above ground, 1 underground)
1959
1960
1961		10	10
1962	39	57	96
1963		45 (49)	45 (49)	excludes 4 zero-yield above ground events
1964		48	48
1965		39	39
1966		49	49
1967		42	42
1968		72	72
1969		61	61
1970		60	60
1971		28	28
1972		32	32
1973		27	27
1974		25	25
1975		23	23
1976		20	20
1977		23	23
1978		19 (20)	19 (20)	excludes 1 zero-yield underground event
1979		15	15
1980		14	14
1981		16	16
1982		18	18
1983		19	19
1984		18	18
1985		17	17
1986		14	14
1987		16	16
1988		18	18
1989		15	15
1990		10	10
1991		9	9
1992		8	8
TOTAL	203 (217)	907 (910)	1,110 (1,127)

Here, an "explosion" is a shot with nuclear yield over 10 kg TNT equivalent. The United States counts 17 additional zero-yield shots as explosions (these are noted above). Parenthetical values are counts as reported by the United States, where they differ.

Above ground explosions include surface bursts, atmospheric bursts, underwater bursts, and exoatmospheric bursts. Underground explosions include cratering bursts as well as contained underground bursts.

Total yield of U.S. nuclear explosions (see below for definitions)
year	total yield (kt)			total yield est. (NRDC)	total yield est. (RNIFC)
	above ground	underground	total
1945	57		57	55	57
1946	42		42	46	42
1947
1948	104		104	104	104
1949
1950
1951	509	1	510	500	511
1952	11,004		11,004	11,004	11,004
1953	252		252	252	252
1954	48,200		48,200	48,200	48,200
1955	196	1	197	197	197
1956	20,820		20,820	17,000	20,820
1957	342	2	344	346	344
1958	35,656	22	35,678	35,500	35,678
1959
1960
1961		40	40	56	50
1962	36,831	577	37,408	24,102	37,624
1963		471	471	615	662
1964		379	379	999	585
1965		555	555	576	581
1966		2,352	2,352	2,189	2,011
1967		1,311	1,311	1,245	1,152
1968		4,750	4,750	4,736	3,962
1969		2,896	2,896	2,836	3,676
1970		3,202	3,202	3,020	2,524
1971		5,117	5,117	4,800	5,449
1972		311	311	274	303
1973		660	660	960	931
1974		603	603	744	372
1975		4,015	4,015	4,012	2,720
1976		4,424	4,424	4,484	3,151
1977		789	789	424	530
1978		910	910	542	500
1979		574	574	492	567
1980		444	444	410	275
1981		343	343	366	341
1982		832	832	568	765
1983		340	340	280	392
1984		571	571	528	451
1985		652	652	492	494
1986		866	866		514
1987		560	560		335
1988		665	665		482
1989		359	359		305
1990		346	346		195
1991		389	389		244
1992		112	112		85
TOTAL	154,013	40,441	194,454	172,954	189,437

For comparison, NRDC and RNIFC estimates of total yield are included. For underground tests after 1975, NRDC totals are 13% lower and RNIFC totals 24% lower than figures compiled here.

The United States conducted most of its nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site and at or near several Pacific islands (Bikini, Eniwetok, Johnston, and Christmas islands/atolls). A few tests were conducted at the Nellis Air Force Range near the Nevada Test Site, at Amchikta Island in Alaska, and at other locations in the Pacific or South Atlantic Oceans, along with a few other locations within the lower 48 states.

Within the lower 48 states, nuclear tests were conducted in four states. The first nuclear test in 1945 took place in New Mexico, along with two other tests for peaceful applications. Peaceful application tests also took place in Colorado and Mississippi. In addition to tests at the Nevada Test Site and Nellis Air Force Range in Nevada, two tests were conducted elsewhere in Nevada. The map below shows these tests, along with two tests in the Pacific Ocean southwest of California.

At the Nevada Test Site, main testing areas included Yucca Flats (atmospheric tests and underground tests in shafts), Rainier and Pahute Mesas (mostly underground tests in tunnels), and Frenchman Flats (mostly above ground tests). In the map below, above ground tests are in blue and underground tests in red.

The map above shows test locations in the NTS again (note underground tests are in blue and above ground tests in red).

The map below shows the Yucca Flats area of the Nevada Test Site. For those tests with reported crater/collapse cavity dimensions, the crater is shown to scale; for others (those without reported dimensions or those producing no surface depression) the ground zero is marked by a point.

© 2005 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 22 June 2005.
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