Area 2 (Nevada National Security Site)

Area 2 is a division of the Nevada Test Site in the Mojave Desert. The area is located 18 miles south-west of Area 51 in the Yucca Flat.^[1]

Tower of the Gabbs test

Area 2 within the Nevada Test Site.

History

Testing began in July 1946 and was conducted intermittently until 31 October 1958, when President Eisenhower signed a moratorium with the former Soviet Union to stop testing.^[1] On 15 September 1961, testing at the Nevada Test Site resumed on a year-round basis. The Nevada Test Site is made up of 18 sites.^[1][2]

On 25 May 1953, Grable was fired from a 280mm gun and produced a yield of 15 kilotons. Priscilla which produced a yield of 37 kilotons, was detonated on 24 June 1957. The Sedan Crater at Area2 was created when a 104 kiloton explosive was fired on 6 July 1962.^[3]

Area 2 was the site of 144 tests comprising 169 detonations.^[4] Shot "Gabbs" a detonation test, was intended for early 1993 but was cancelled in 1992 due to a pre-emptive stop of testing based around the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.^[5]

The Nevada National Security Site provides historical tours yearly, which include visits to various locations on the site including the Area 2 Gun Turret.^[1][6]