Agate (nuclear test)
| Agate | |
|---|---|
| Béryl's explosion in the Hoggar Mountains (1962). It is believed that footage of Agathe was used in the news instead in order to hide the atomic incident that occurred. | |
Agate (nuclear test) is located in Algeria Agate (nuclear test) Location of the test site | |
| Information | |
| Country | France |
| Test series | In Ekker series |
| Test site | In Ekker, French Algeria |
| Coordinates | 24°03′55′′N 5°03′23′′E / 24.06528°N 5.05639°E / 24.06528; 5.05639 |
| Date | 7 November 1961; 63 years ago (1961年11月07日) |
| Test type | Atmospheric |
| Test altitude | 1,000 m |
| Device type | Fission bomb |
| Yield | 10 kt (41.84 TJ) |
| Test chronology | |
Béryl → | |
Agate[a] was the codename of the first French nuclear underground test. It was conducted by the Joint Special Weapons Command on 7 November 1961, at the Oasis Military Experiments Centre near In Ekker, French Algeria at the Tan Afella in the Hoggar Mountains, during the Algerian War.[1]
It is named after the Agate, a rock formation used in jewelry.
History
[edit ]
Agate was the first test of the jewel designation series running from 1961 until 1966. Minor and major incidents occurred during these experiments, the most important being the Béryl incident on May 1, 1962, where the nine militarymen of the 621ème Groupe d'Armes Spéciales unit were heavily contaminated (600 mSv) as portrayed in the 2006 docudrama Vive La Bombe! . The French Defence Minister Pierre Messmer and other officials and civilians were present in the command post and were contaminated too (around >200 mSv).
Programme
[edit ]- 1961年11月07日: Agate (Agate): 10 kt
- 1962年05月01日: Béryl (Beryl): 40 kt
- 1963年03月18日: Émeraude (Emerald): 10 kt
- 1963年03月30日: Améthyste (Amethyst): 2.5 kt
- 1963年10月20日: Rubis (Ruby): 52 kt
- 1964年02月14日: Opale (Opal): 3.7 kt
- 1964年06月15日: Topaze (Topaz): 2.5 kt
- 1964年11月28日: Turquoise (Turquoise): 10 kt
- 1965年02月27日: Saphir (Sapphire): 127 kt
- 1965年05月30日: Jade (Jade): 2.5 kt
- 1965年10月01日: Corindon (Corundum): 2.5 kt
- 1965年12月01日: Tourmaline (Tourmaline): 10 kt
- 1966年02月16日: Grenat (Garnet): 13 kt
Known incidents
[edit ]The millisievert (mSv) is commonly used to measure the effective dose in diagnostic medical procedures. See radiation poisoning for a more complete analysis of effects of various dosage levels.
- 1962年05月01日: Béryl casualties
- 100 pers. (>50 mSv)
- 15 pers. (>200 mSv)
- 9 pers. (600 mSv)
- possibly 240 pers. (<2.5 mSv)
- 1963年03月30日: Améthyste casualties
- 13 pers. (=10 mSv)
- 280 pers. (<1 mSv)
- 1963年10月20日: Rubis casualties
- 500 pers. (<0.2 mSv)
- undisclosed (= 0.01 mSv)
- 1965年05月30日 Jade casualties:
- undisclosed (<1 mSv)
Data provided by the French Defense Ministry in January 2007.[2]
See also
[edit ]- Gerboise Bleue (French first atmospheric A-bomb)
- Canopus (French first atmospheric H-bomb)
- Force de Frappe
- List of states with nuclear weapons
- Nuclear weapons and France
- History of nuclear weapons
Notes
[edit ]- ^ Some sources report the name Agathe; however, it is a misspelling of the rock formation after which the bomb was named.
References
[edit ]- ^ Senate of the French Republic (15 December 1997). "French Senate report #179: The first French tests in the Sahara". senat.fr (in French). Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ Defense.gouv.fr Archived 2007年09月25日 at the Wayback Machine