Long Shot Nuclear Test Site, Alaska

One of three underground nuclear tests performed at different places on this 42-mile long island in the Aleutian Chain. This 1965 test, named Long Shot, consisted of an 80 kiloton yield bomb, detonated at the bottom of a 2,297-foot shaft. The test was one of several in a series, performed at various locations, to calibrate detection equipment for monitoring the Russian nuclear testing program. The island of Amchitka was a military outpost in WWII, and the air field and base camp from that facility were reused for the nuclear testing program.