Database of nuclear tests, USSR: Introduction

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Database of nuclear tests, USSR/Russia: Introduction

Column data and Codes:

Test series--year
Shot name--number in official Russian listing, Russian shot/program name if known, U.S. nickname in parenthesis
Shot code--
- S--salvo test, first listed detonation
- SS--salvo test, additional detonations
- X--event not including in official Russian listing
Year, month, day (GMT)
Time (GMT)
Site--
- test sites:
  - MTR--Missile Testing Range
  - NZ--Novaya Zemlya:
    - NZ-CB--Novaya Zemlya, Chernaya Bay
    - NZ-MB--Novaya Zemlya, Mityushikha Bay
    - NZ-NS--Novaya Zemlya, Northern Site (Matochkin Shar)
    - NZ-SS--Novaya Zemlya, Southern Site (Belushya)
  - STS--Semipalatinsk Test Site:
    - STS-B--Semipalatinsk, Balapan
    - STS-D--Semipalatinsk, Degelen
    - STS-GZ--Semipalatinsk, Ground Zero (Technical Area Sh)
    - STS-SU--Semipalatinsk, Sary-Uzen
    - STS-T--Semipalatinsk, Telkem
- outside test sites:
  - -KZ--Kazakhstan:
    - -KZ-BA--Kazakhstan, Bolshoy Azgir area
    - -KZ-KA--Kazakhstan, Karachaganakskoye oil field
    - -KZ-MA--Kazakhstan, Mangyshlak oblast
  - -RU--Russia:
    - -RU-A--Russia, Arkhangelsk area
    - -RU-AS--Russia, Astrakhan gas deposit
    - -RU-BK--Russia, Bashkir
    - -RU-K--Russia, Krasnoyarsk area
    - -RU-M--Russia, Murmansk
    - -RU-O--Russia, Orenberg area
    - -RU-P--Russia, Perm area
    - -RU-T--Russia, Tuymen area
    - -RU-YK--Russia, Yakutia
  - -TU--Turkmenistan
  - -UK--Ukraine
  - -UZ--Uzbekistan
Latitude (° N) and Longitude (° E)
Location/time code--
- A--announced/ground truth
- C--time conversion uncertain
- S--seismic determination
- *--time or lat./long. presumed
Hole designation--shaft or tunnel number
Height of burst--negative indicates depth
Ground zero altitude--negative indicates water depth, 0 indicates water of unknown depth
Ground zero code--
- A--announced/ground truth
- D--derived
- DMN--derived, minimum depth
- DMX--derived, maximum depth
- MX--maximum height/depth
- ?--uncertain
Type of detonation--
- A--atmospheric
  - A-AD--airdrop
  - A-CM--cruise missile
  - A-R--rocket or missile
- AH--atmospheric, high altitude (between 30 km and 80 km)
  - AH-R--rocket
- AS--atmospheric, surface
  - AS-AD--airdrop
  - AS-R--rocket or missile
  - AS-T--tower
- AW--atmospheric, water surface
  - AW-AS--anti-submarine weapon or torpedo
  - AW-CM--cruise missile
- AX--space (altitude over 80 km)
  - AX-R--rocket
- UG--underground
  - UG-CS--cavity, shaft
  - UG-M--mine
  - UG-S--shaft
  - UG-T-tunnel
- UW--underwater
  - UW-AS--antisubmarine weapon or torpedo
  - UW-B--barge
Purpose--
- FS--fundamental science
- I--industrial applications:
  - I-CV--cavity excavation
  - I-EM--earth-moving
  - I-FE--extinguishing of oil/gas well fire
  - I-OS--oil stimulation
  - I-SS--seismic sounding
- JV--joint verification
- ME--military exercise
- PR--research for peaceful applications
- SE--safety experiment
- ST--storage/transportation experiment
- VU--Vela uniform
- WE--weapons effects
- WR--nuclear weapons related
Yield, minimum and maximum--in kt, Russian figures
Yield, estimated--in kt, reported figures from unofficial or Western sources
Yield notes--
- MX--maximum
- R--reported
- S--seismic estimate
Yield, preferred value--incorporation information on annual total yields and compiler's model of yield-to-seismic magnitude relations (note: seismic estimate values for Semipalantisk tests, 1964-1976, may be high by 30%)
Magnitude Mb--seismic magnitude
Crater--number indicates diameter in meters, C indicates crater or collapse pit resulted
Vented--V indicates venting occurred; radioactivity release, if known, is given in curies (Ci), kilocuries (kCi), or megacuries (MCi)
Device
- FZ--fizzile
- IC--implosion, composite core
- IP--implosion, plutonium core
- IU--implosion, uranium core
- ND--no detonation
- SL--sloika/layer cake thermonuclear (number indicates % fission)
- TN--thermonuclear, multistage (number indicates % fission)
Warhead--designation (or by delivery system followed by "wh")
Sponsor--design bureau (KB-11 or Ch-70)
Reported--
- A--annouced by USA prior to 1990
- S--announced by USSR prior to 1990
- X--not included in official Russia test lists (1996-1999)

Compiled by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 15 June 2005.
www.johnstonsarchive.net