Salvation through destruction. Twenty-one years ago, on September 10, 1996, the Comprehensive Ban Treaty was adopted at the 50th UN General Assembly. nuclear tests. This agreement obliges each participating state not to carry out tests nuclear weapons, to prevent any other nuclear explosions in the territory under the jurisdiction of this state. But who are the laws stopping? This review contains a story about the 7 largest and most terrible nuclear test sites in the world.

This is probably the most famous nuclear weapons test site on the territory of the former USSR. This place has a very sinister reputation. Due to numerous tests, the landfill contributed to heavy pollution environment on the territory of Russia and Kazakhstan. Nowadays, all the site’s adits have been blown up, the craters are flooded, and the infrastructure has fallen into disrepair. The former landfill is not protected by the authorities in any way.

2. New Earth

Before nuclear tests, this place had every chance of becoming in the 21st century tourist center. Today it is a scorched, frozen piece of land. The largest nuclear tests of the USSR were carried out here. You cannot just visit the landfill; you must first obtain special permission. However, this is hardly a suitable place for eco-tourism.

3. Bikini Atoll

A picturesque, truly paradise place in the Marshall Islands archipelago. In any case, this is how the islands seem at first glance. The Geiger counter here goes off scale at every turn. Visiting the Atoll is suicide. The irony is that this is precisely why the American nuclear test site attracts whole crowds of tourists. Today Bikini Atoll is not only one of the largest training grounds, but also the most dangerous beach!

4. Alamogordo Test Site

The Alamogordo landfill has long been converted into a tourist site. There is virtually no danger of radiation here, since only one test took place at the test site, but this is the most important test in the history of mankind. It was in Alamogordo, among the snow-white sands of New Mexico, that the Americans tested the first atomic bomb, called Trinity. It was after these tests that the decision was made to drop bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

5. Nevada Test Site

At the Nevada test site, the Americans detonated thousands of nuclear bombs. This landfill is one of the largest on earth. Ironically, during the time of nuclear testing, the explosions contributed to the influx of tourists to Las Vegas. The “mushrooms” of most of the ruptures were clearly visible even from hundreds of kilometers away, which, of course, attracted onlookers and “romantics.” Today, visiting the landfill is prohibited, but this does not stop those who want to look at the craters.

6. Mururoa Atoll

A tropical island located in French Polynesia. This place, like Bikini, could have become a tourist paradise, but it became one of the largest nuclear test sites. Today, visiting the island is prohibited for obvious reasons. More than two hundred explosions were carried out here, and one of them was unsuccessful and not only polluted the environment, but also caused damage to the islands themselves.

7. Lop Nor

Another important testing ground from a historical point of view. It is located in China, near the lake of the same name. It was here that the PRC, which received nuclear weapons in 1964, produced the first explosion that was made in the Earth's atmosphere. Subsequently, the Chinese military carried out only underground tests.

Exactly 13 years ago, the last adit of the Semipalatinsk test site was liquidated. In honor of this date, we have selected 6 places where nuclear weapons tests were carried out and which may well become objects of extreme tourism.

Probably the most famous nuclear weapons testing site, located on the territory of the former Soviet Union. In many ways, its fame is ensured by the very ominous popularity of these places - testing of the latest weapons has polluted large areas Russia and Kazakhstan, local population still suffers from the consequences, and products from these places have a notorious and, as a rule, ignored. Today, the landfill is a place not protected by the authorities, storing craters from explosions that have become lakes, and many neglected infrastructure facilities. All the adits at the Semipalatinsk test site were blown up, so those thirsty for strange romance visit some of the most creepy places on Earth they can only examine their remains.

The deceptive image of this tropical paradise, located in the Marshall Islands archipelago, poses a mortal danger - a place that could become popular resort, still chirps ominously with Geiger counters. This is probably one of the most popular places Americans testing their nuclear arsenal is only becoming more attractive to tourists, many of whom, despite warnings, go to relax on the deserted beaches of Bikini. Considering that after the tests, almost a thousand people died from various diseases on the island itself and another two thousand after emigrating from Bikini, this is truly the most extreme beach holiday in the world.

One of largest islands world could become a popular nature reserve among eco-tourists, offering guests also the most interesting ethnographic finds. But now this frosty piece of land, where large-scale nuclear tests were carried out during the Soviet Union, may appeal only to desperate extreme sports enthusiasts. It is they who may be interested in the development of wildlife in the surroundings of the remains of landfills, and they will not be deterred by the closed status of these lands. In order to get to Novaya Zemlya, you need a special pass, but the risk of getting into trouble does not frighten all stalkers, for whom many mothballed military facilities are too much of a lure.

The snow-white sands of New Mexico, ringing the American city of Alamogordo, contain the history of the first atomic explosion in the history of mankind - it was at this test site that the first nuclear bomb, Trinity, was tested, the “children” of which would create the most terrible disaster in the history of mankind. What is noteworthy is that the test site has now been turned into a tourist site, receiving visitors twice a year, who are told about the history of the tests and shown a commemorative crater.

The Nevada wasteland absorbed the power of almost a thousand nuclear warheads, increasing the flow of tourists to Las Vegas until the early nineties - mushrooms from explosions were visible even at a distance of one and a half hundred kilometers. Today, cunning businessmen organize tourist excursions to the test site, dotted with numerous craters, for which reservations have to be made several months before the desired date - there is no end to those wishing to visit one of the largest nuclear testing sites. And they are not afraid of either the high level of radiation or the many conditions that prohibit, for example, taking cameras and mobile phones with them.

Located in French Polynesia tropical island, like Bikini, could have become an excellent tropical resort if the French authorities had not destined a different fate for it. Almost two hundred nuclear explosions not only polluted clean beaches islands, but even after one unsuccessful test significantly (official Paris still does not disclose the scale) affected the surrounding waters. Mururoa's uninhabited status allows hobbyists extreme recreation Visit these places, which look like a paradise for tourists, at your own risk.

- (Mururoa), small coral island atoll in the Pacific Ocean, in the arch. Tuamotu, part of French Polynesia. The site of France's testing of thermonuclear weapons. Dictionary of modern geographical names. Ekaterinburg: Factory. Under… … Geographical encyclopedia

Mururoa- (Mururoa) Mururoa, an atoll, a remote atoll in the South Pacific, in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia, since 1966. used by France for nuclear testing... Countries of the world. Dictionary

Tatakoto Location Pacific Ocean Tuamotu Coordinates Coordinates ... Wikipedia

Fr. Tureia ... Wikipedia

- “Unicorn” (French Licorne) the largest thermonuclear explosion in France, carried out on July 3, 1970 on Mururoa Atoll. The power of the explosion was 914 kilotons. The “unicorn” was produced by a TN 60 type warhead. The nuclear device was dropped... ... Wikipedia

Fr. Fangataufa ... Wikipedia

Fr. Vanavana ... Wikipedia

Fr. Tematangi ... Wikipedia

Occupation: poet, writer, literary critic, public political figure of Kazakhstan Date of birth: May 18, 1936 (19360518) Place of birth ... Wikipedia

Olzhas Omarovich Suleimenov Occupation: poet, writer, literary critic, public political figure of Kazakhstan Date of birth: May 18, 1936 (19360518) Place of birth ... Wikipedia

Books

  • Spotter, Vasily Vasilievich Golovachev. None of the nuclear scientists on Earth could have imagined that their nuclear testing sites in Nevada and off the island of Mururoa would give birth to intelligent supersaurs - the “cavalry of the Universe.” Exactly…
  • Spotter, Vasily Vasilievich Golovachev. None of the nuclear scientists on Earth could have imagined that their nuclear testing sites in Nevada and off the island of Mururoa would give birth to intelligent supersaurs - 171; cavalry of the Universe 187;...

Since the first nuclear explosion in history, carried out on July 16, 1945 in the state of New Mexico, a new term has appeared all over the world - Nuclear Test Site. It denotes a place, for one reason or another, chosen for testing the most powerful and dangerous weapons in the arsenal of people. Since that first explosion, several thousand explosions of both nuclear and thermonuclear bombs have been carried out. During this time, nuclear test sites appeared on almost all continents of the Earth. In fact, the countries that gradually became members of the “Nuclear Club” themselves chose points on their territory, and sometimes on the territory of another state, where they tested their weapons. Most of the explosions in various places were carried out by the old members of this “club” - the USA, USSR, Great Britain, France and China. It was they who, in 1967, signed the “Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons” and made its use and testing legitimate for the countries that detonated their bomb before 1968. However, this did not greatly prevent the “young” nuclear powers - India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel - from carrying out their nuclear programs and testing. Officially, the emergence of these new members of the “nuclear club” is considered illegal. However, many other countries continue to work on creating their own nuclear program and are already preparing sites for future test sites. At the same time, the experience of nuclear tests of the “old” members of the club has shown that they do not lead to anything good, but on the contrary, cause enormous harm to the environment and the population. Some states are consciously aware of this transferred the testing of their weapons to the territory of other dependent or controlled states.“Diletant” publishes a selection of “death ranges” of different countries.

Nuclear test site in Australia

British nuclear bomb explosion

UK nuclear tests took place in Australia

This experience was widely used by Great Britain. She carried out her nuclear explosions at a considerable distance from British Isles. Until 1991, the UK carried out 45 nuclear and thermonuclear explosions. Most of them were carried out in Australia. Since ancient times, the British have had a peculiar attitude towards the island-continent. At first, Australia was the main place of exile for prisoners, then it became the raw materials base of Great Britain where everything was mined - from uranium to diamonds. Later, this region, due to its sparse population, was chosen for the construction of nuclear weapons testing sites. The main testing site was the test site in the Maralinga desert, in the center South Australia and 450 km. northwest of Adelaide. Another test site was Emu Field, northeast of Maralinga. A commemorative obelisk is now erected at the site of the first British nuclear explosion (Ground Zero) at Emu Field. Unique nature the continent suffered greatly from these trials. Back in 1985, a special commission established that there was serious radioactive contamination in the Maralinga area. The most interesting thing is that these territories were one of important regions aboriginal residence. When the tests first began, little thought was given to them, and then they were moved to other areas. Now these places are absolutely lifeless.

Fangatoufa Atoll, where France conducted nuclear tests

Mururoa Atoll

Nuclear tests at Fangatoufa, 1968

In addition to sparsely populated deserts, more were often chosen for nuclear testing. scenic spots. The victims of the tests were often islands in the Pacific Ocean that were unique in their relief and nature. So France, after carrying out the first explosion on the territory of Algeria on February 13, 1960, carried out 16 more tests in the desert, after which in 1966 they were transferred to the islands of French Polynesia included in the Tuamotu archipelago. Both islands on which the nuclear explosions were carried out - Fangatoufa and Mururoa - are coral atolls, strips of land surrounding blue lagoons. These islands are rich in their underwater world. Nevertheless, the French Atomic Energy Commission concluded that it is safe to carry out atomic explosions here. As a result, between 1966 and 1996, 192 nuclear explosions were carried out on the two atolls. At Fangatauf there were 5 explosions on the surface and 10 underground. The most serious incident occurred in September 1966, when after an experiment it was necessary to take measures to decontaminate part of Fangataufa Atoll.

On about. Muroroa underground nuclear explosions trigger volcanic activity


On the island of Muroroa, underground explosions caused volcanic activity. Underground explosions caused cracks to form. The crack zone around each cavity is a sphere with a diameter of 200 - 500 m. Due to the small area of ​​the island, the explosions were carried out in wells located close to each other and turned out to be interconnected. Radioactive elements accumulated in these cavities. After the next test, the explosion occurred at a very shallow depth, which caused the formation of a crack 40 cm wide and several kilometers long. There is a real danger of rocks splitting and separating and radioactive substances entering the ocean. After this, France was forced to stop testing in 1998. France still carefully hides the real damage caused to the ecology of the island.

Kiribati Island (Christmas)

Kiribati Island (Christmas)

Nuclear explosion on the island of Kiribati

The British also did not limit themselves to Australia in conducting their tests. They conducted tests on the islands Pacific Ocean in particular on Christmas Island (Kiribati). This island, rich in vegetation and rare virgin forests, is home to the largest number of tropical bird species in the world. Including several unique and endemic ones. In 1956-1958, 50 km from the island, Great Britain tested nuclear weapons. In May 1957, the first British hydrogen bomb was tested in the atmosphere near the island. As a result of nuclear testing, some species of birds lost the ability to reproduce, which had a very detrimental effect on the population of seabirds as a whole.

Nuclear testing at Enewetak Atoll

In addition to hundreds of tests on their territory at testing sites in Nevada and New Mexico, the Americans also conducted tests in the Marshall Islands. The United States conducted 67 nuclear tests between 1946 and 1958 at the test sites on Bikini and Eniwetak atolls. A bomb was dropped into the Bikini Island lagoon in 1946. On July 25, an underwater explosion of a nuclear facility was carried out there. On March 1, 1954, the island was destroyed during a hydrogen bomb test. About 840 residents of the atoll died from cancer and other diseases caused by nuclear testing. There were 43 nuclear explosions at Eniwetok between 1948 and 1958. In 1977, the American government sent troops to decontaminate the island.

About 840 Bikini Atoll residents have died from cancer and other diseases

American test site in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska

The US nuclear program is generally known for the fact that tests are carried out in different places throughout the country. In addition to the famous and largest test site on the planet in Nevada, where 928 nuclear explosions have been carried out since 1951, the United States has also tested nuclear bombs in the states of New Mexico (at a test site 60 miles (97 km) from the city of Alamogordo), Colorado, Mississippi and even in Alaska.

Lob-Nor Lakes

Nature of Lob-Nor lakes

Nuclear tests at Lob Nor Lake

China conducted most of its tests at the Lop-Nor test site

China carried out most of its tests in one place - at the Lob Nor test site. This area itself is unique in a certain sense. Lob Nor is a group of salt lakes located at an altitude of about 780 meters. Not so long ago it was very large lake, but similar Aral Sea Due to agricultural activities, it began to dry out. However, Lop Nor is considered the second largest semi-saline lake in China. The site was home to red willows and camel needles, as well as herds of fathead sheep, yellowbuck, and wild camels, which are endangered species. Once rich in vegetation and animal world The area today is almost completely deserted. Only withered acacias grow along the edges of the lake. It all started in 1964, when the first nuclear tests were carried out in China. The first test of a hydrogen bomb was carried out in China - nuclear test No. 6, an explosion in the air of a bomb dropped from an airplane was carried out at the Lob Nor test site. Until 1996, 45 nuclear tests were carried out at the test site. Chinese nuclear tests are considered the dirtiest in terms of nuclear contamination. Since then, Lob-Nor has been considered a “dead zone.”

Nature of the archipelago New Earth

The Soviet Union had a large training ground on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago

Nuclear tests were carried out even in the Arctic zone. In addition to Semipalatinsk and several other training grounds, the Soviet Union had a large training ground on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. The unique nature of this place is replete with rare species. Among mammals, arctic foxes, lemmings and large herds of reindeer live here. With the onset of cold weather, polar bears come here. Marine animals include harp seal, ringed seal, bearded seal, and whales. In addition, the largest bird market is located in this area. This is a nesting place for puffins, gulls, and guillemots.
Since 1954, a nuclear weapons testing site has been created here. The test site, located on three sites, served for testing all types of nuclear weapons. Here bombs were exploded in the atmosphere, on the surface, under water, above water and underground. In total, 135 nuclear explosions were carried out over the years of testing. Nuclear torpedoes were tested here. The largest thermonuclear bomb in history, the 58-megaton Tsar Bomba, was detonated on Novaya Zemlya. The wave from the explosion circled the Earth three times. It is difficult to say and assess what damage these explosions caused to the ecology of the region. No tests have been carried out since 1990.

The “Dark Continent” was not spared nuclear tests either. In 1979, a nuclear explosion was recorded on Bouvet Island, which is the territory of South Africa. No country has claimed responsibility for these tests. The next explosion in South Africa took place in 1981. Presumably, these tests were carried out by Israel together with South Africa due to the limited and populated territory of its own territory. In exchange, Israel helped South Africa create its own nuclear arsenal, which the country abandoned in the 90s.

At the end of World War II, the Americans dropped two atomic bombs on Japan - thus beginning the atomic age. In the context of the developing Cold War, and remembering the lessons of the past, General Charles de Gaulle set a course for the complete military independence of France. On October 18, 1945, by his order, the Atomic Energy Administration (AEA) was created to develop scientific nuclear research, the nuclear industry and nuclear weapons.

France's path to the atomic bomb consisted of several successive steps: in 1946, a fairly rich uranium ore deposit was discovered in Limousin, which made France independent in terms of obtaining raw materials for the nuclear industry; the launch of the first Zoe nuclear reactor at Fort Chatillon (5 km south of Paris) in 1947; the launch of the first French nuclear power plant in Marcoules in 1955, where not only electricity was generated, but also weapons-grade plutonium.

In April 1958, against the backdrop of the crisis of the “Fourth Republic,” French Prime Minister Felix Gaillard signed a government decision to test an atomic bomb. After de Gaulle returned to power, this decision was not only not canceled, but its implementation was accelerated in every way.

However, conducting nuclear weapons tests faces the problem of choosing a site for them; in the end, when considering options between the Polynesian islands and the Sahara Desert, the choice fell on the latter. In Algeria, in the area of ​​​​the Reggan oasis, a nuclear test site is being built with scientific center and a camp for research personnel. And on February 13, 1960, the first nuclear test takes place - France becomes the fourth participant in the so-called. "Nuclear Club".

The first French nuclear test was called "Blue Jerboa" ("Gerboise Bleue"), the yield of the device was 70 kilotons, which is three times the power of the "Baby" bomb dropped on Hiroshima. In April and December 1961 and April 1962, three more atmospheric atomic explosions are carried out in the Sahara.

France's acquisition of the atomic bomb met with a wave of criticism from the "senior" nuclear powers, primarily the United States, which saw France as a new competitor for world hegemony. In addition, the tests in the Sahara caused political demarches on the part of the newly independent African states due to fears of contamination of the continent.

In this regard, the tests were moved underground and in 1962-1963 thirteen underground nuclear explosions were carried out at the Reggan test site.

After the Evian agreements - de Gaulle’s recognition of the independence of Algeria, the French had to move the main nuclear test site to the atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa in French Polynesia, however, according to the Evian agreements, up to 40 nuclear tests were carried out in the Sahara until 1966, data on which is still classified.

In 1963, construction of a new nuclear test site with a research center and infrastructure began in Polynesia.

On July 1, 1966, the first test of nuclear weapons was carried out at the new test site - Operation Aldebaran - an atomic bomb was exploded on a barge.

In mid-September of the same year, the Betelgeuse atmospheric explosion occurs, in which Charles de Gaulle is present - the nuclear device was suspended from a balloon at an altitude of 600 meters. Eight tests were carried out in 1967-1968.