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Sedan Crater facts for kids

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Sedan Crater
Sedan Plowshare Crater.jpg
The Sedan crater
Sedan Crater is located in Nevada
Sedan Crater
Location in Nevada
Location Area 10, Nevada Test Site
Nearest city Mercury, Nevada
NRHP reference No. 94000183
Added to NRHP March 21, 1994

Sedan Crater is the result of the Sedan nuclear test and is located within the Nevada Test Site, 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Groom Lake, Nevada (Area 51). The crater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 21, 1994.

The crater is the result of the displacement of 12,000,000 short tons (11,000,000 t) of earth. Over 10,000 people per year visit the crater through free monthly tours offered by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office. Its closest Soviet counterpart is the slightly wider Chagan crater which filled in to create Lake Chagan.

History and description

The 1,280 by 320 ft (390 by 100 m) crater was created on July 6, 1962 by a 104-kiloton-of-TNT (440 TJ) thermonuclear explosion. The device was buried 635 feet (194 m) below the desert floor in Area 10 of Yucca Flat and was the largest cratering shot in the Plowshare Program. The explosion created fallout that affected more US residents than any other nuclear test, exposing more than 13 million people to radiation. Within 7 months of the excavation, the bottom of the crater could be safely walked upon with no protective clothing and photographs were taken.

Russian thistle, also known as tumbleweed, is the primary plant species growing in the crater along with some grasses. Analysis in 1993 observed that the original perennial shrubs once living there had shown no recovery.

Statistics

Nevada Test Site - Sedan Crater - 10
Observation decks at Sedan Crater
  • Maximum depth – 320 feet (98 m)
  • Maximum diameter – 1,280 feet (390 m)
  • Volume – 6.6 million cubic yards (5.0×10^6 m3)
  • Weight of material lifted – 12 million short tons (11 Mt)
  • Maximum lip height – 100 feet (30 m)
  • Minimum lip height – 20 feet (6.1 m)
Panorama of the Crater with Russian thistle tumbleweed accumulating at the bottom.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Cráter Sedan para niños

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