Nuclear weapons testing

Controlled detonation of nuclear weapons for scientific or political purposes

Follow Nuclear weapons testing on Notably News to receive short updates to your email — rarely!

We include updates on Tsar Bomba, Bikini Atoll, Novaya Zemlya, Nevada Test Site, Starfish Prime, Johnston Atoll, Operation Fishbowl, Kiritimati, Enewetak Atoll, Trinitite, Operation Grapple, Semipalatinsk Test Site, Severny Island, Pokhran, RDS-1, Chagai-I ... and more.

2023 James Rice published 'Downwind of the Atomic State: Atmospheric Testing and the Rise of the Risk Society', analyzing the societal implications of nuclear weapons testing.
2020 Estimated cumulative death toll from nuclear weapons testing reached up to 2.4 million people, highlighting the long-term human health consequences of nuclear testing.
April 15 2020
Nuclear weapons tests
The Wall Street Journal published a US State Department report alleging potential nuclear-related supercritical experiments at China's Lop Nur test site during 2019, raising concerns about nuclear testing activities in the absence of effective international monitoring.
August 2 2019 Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) officially terminated.
July 14 2019 Russia notifies signatories of intent to suspend the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.
2017
Historical nuclear weapons stockpiles and nuclear tests by country
North Korea conducted another nuclear test.
2017 North Korea conducted a nuclear test.
September 2017 North Korea conducted its most recent confirmed nuclear test in September.
September 3 2017 North Korea conducted its most recent nuclear test, escalating tensions with the United States.
September 3 2017
Nuclear weapons tests
North Korea detonated its first self-designated hydrogen bomb, with initial yield estimates at 100 kilotons. The test caused a magnitude 6.3 earthquake and potentially resulted in a cave-in at the test site.
2016
Historical nuclear weapons stockpiles and nuclear tests by country
North Korea conducted two nuclear tests.
September 2016 North Korea conducted a nuclear test in September.
September 9 2016
Nuclear weapons tests
North Korea conducted a nuclear weapon test at the Punggye-ri Test Site, claiming it was a warhead mountable to a missile. The test yielded an estimated 20-30 kilotons and coincided with a 5.3 magnitude earthquake.
January 2016 North Korea conducted a nuclear test in January.
January 6 2016
Nuclear weapons tests
North Korea claimed to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, with a seismic event of magnitude 5.1 occurring near Sungjibaegam.
2015 Lydia subcritical test planned at NTS Area U1a, expected to be a plutonium subcritical test with a scaled-down warhead mockup.
2015 Lydia subcritical test planned at Nevada Test Site, expected to be a plutonium subcritical test with a scaled-down warhead mockup.
2015
Peaceful nuclear explosion
Elon Musk popularized the concept of terraforming Mars using nuclear explosions, specifically proposing detonations over the planet's dry-ice icecaps.
January 5 2015
Nuclear weapons tests
North Korea announced a successful test of a miniaturized atomic bomb near the Punggye-ri nuclear site.
November 14 2014
Nuclear weapons tests
A fireball over Yekaterinburg was alleged by some to be a potential nuclear test in space, though this claim was disputed by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, which described it as an 'on-ground' explosion. The event occurred shortly before a conference on air/missile defense.
October 2014
Peaceful nuclear explosion
Comet Siding Spring (C/2013 A1) passed near Mars, presenting a potential opportunity for using nuclear explosives to alter a comet's trajectory as part of theoretical planetary terraforming strategies.
2013
Historical nuclear weapons stockpiles and nuclear tests by country
North Korea conducted a third nuclear test.
2013 North Korea conducted a nuclear test.
February 12 2013
Nuclear weapons tests
North Korea conducted its third nuclear test, with a 4.9-5.1 magnitude tremor detected. The blast was estimated at 6-7 kilotons, with some experts suggesting up to 15 kilotons.
2010
Peaceful nuclear explosion
Soviet reports of successfully using nuclear explosions to extinguish gas well fires were cited in U.S. policy discussions as a potential option for stopping the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
2010
Artificial radiation belts
The United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency issued a detailed report analyzing historical artificial radiation belts and their impact on satellites, including projections for potential future high-altitude nuclear explosions.

This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles List of nuclear weapons tests, List of artificial radiation belts, Peaceful nuclear explosion, Historical nuclear weapons stockpiles and nuclear tests by country & Nuclear weapons testing, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

See Also