NUCLEAR BOMB FRACKING ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION PROJECT GASBUGGY 27544

This film, "The Resourceful Atom: Project Gasbuggy" documents an underground nuclear detonation carried out by the United States Atomic Energy Commission on December 10, 1967 in rural northern New Mexico. It was part of Operation Plowshare, a program designed to find peaceful uses for nuclear explosions.
Gasbuggy was carried out by the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory and the El Paso Natural Gas Company, with funding from the Atomic Energy Commission. Its purpose was to determine whether controlled nuclear explosions could be useful in loosening rock formations for the sake of natural gas extraction. In modern terms, it would be called a form of nuclear fracking.
The site of the test, which is now part of Carson National Forest, is approximately 25 miles southwest of Dulce, New Mexico and 50 miles east of Farmington, and was chosen because natural gas deposits were known to be held in sandstone beneath Leandro Canyon. A 29-kiloton device was placed at a depth of 4,227 feet underground and detonated; a crowd had gathered to watch, which viewed the detonation from atop a nearby butte.
The explosion was carried out according to plan, detonating successfully and creating an 80-foot-wide, 335-foot-deep crater at the site. Wells were drilled and natural gas was extracted from the site. However, the gas proved to be too radioactive to be commercially viable. Highly radioactive material in the area was removed, and the site is now level ground safe to approach at the surface, although drilling or digging in the area is prohibited. In 1978, a placard was installed at the site noting the location of ground zero.
After Gasbuggy, two further nuclear explosions were carried out as part of Operation Plowshare in the interest of gas extraction, both in Colorado. Devices were detonated at Rulison in 1969 and in Rio Blanco County in 1973, both with similar results.
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[@Senor0Droolcup]

I love me some Project Gasbuggy! Had no idea this film existed: thank you!

[@epontius]

My father was assigned to this project while in the Air Force. He always talked about it. My mom has a box of Project Gasbuggy stuff that dad kept. He has a binder full of photographs as he was tasked with taking photos of the site on the ground and in the air. He was most likely in the air force helicopter (he took pictures of that as well) you see briefly in the film and probably sat next to the camera operator for the aerial scenes in the film. He was also involved with Project Sterling in which they blew up a nuke in the Tatum Salt Dome in Mississippi to test whether they would be able to hear the Russians if they were doing nuclear weapons testing underground.

[@southtexasprepper1837]

"Project: Gasbuggy" was successful in fracturing to release the Natural Gas.. However, the Natural Gas being released was too radioactive to be used commercially.

[@kevinmadore1794]

How all of those scientists involved in the project didn't know in advance that this would be the case just boggles the mind. OBTW, they apparently "flared" off all of that radioactive gas, which likely contaminated the entire region downwind of the project. Our government did a lot of really dumb things with nukes back in the day.

[@southtexasprepper1837]

@@kevinmadore1794 "Project Plowshares" was at the time trying to find constructive uses of Nuclear Weapons. Unfortunately, Nuclear Weapons really have no real use except for Deterrence. "Project Plowshares" was Adults masquerading as children messing with the Forces of the Atom. It's like children playing with matches and not realizing the possible consequences of their own actions.

[@cybercat1531]

And people thought the current fracking was as bad as it gets.....

[@joethegeographer]

Thanks for posting, a fascinating glimpse into the past.

[@augdog1230]

9:33 no fall arrest harness, looks like he'd fit down that 4000' hole

[@rickchristensen3530]

I passed by there today. Pretty interesting

[@RustyDockLight]

Love all those old vehicles!

[@NONAME-kw3pu]

THE produced oil n gas was so radioactive no refinery wanted it. cemented the well. plugged n abandoned

[@bobweiss8682]

Gee, who could have guessed THAT might happen?

[@maelgugi]

The good old days when you could smoke while drilling to extract highly inflammable gas!

[@stephenverchinski9967]

Does anyone know the amount of liquid radioactive waste that was placed down the hole afterward and what was it from? Who does the legacy work on this site?

[@gregorytoddsmith9744]

This story continued.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/qH69lKKImricrsU

[@allgood6760]

Far out!

[@nobodyimportant1940]

I live in Dulce

[@gregorytoddsmith9744]

Oh this was just the start of the craziness they began. They did a second larger detonation on Colorado's western slope and then planned an even larger one here in Wyoming. Luckily some concerned and determined individuals fought back. Watch this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qH69lKKImricrsU

[@Mark_Ocain]

Gotta love the 60's...no one gave a stuff about nuking a national park back then LOL. Nor did they care about worker safety drilling into 'hot' rock..and you have to also love the wonky expectations of uncontaminated water tables then or in the future. Back then, everything was ok. Frack baby frack!! Flaming water pouring out of your taps has nothing on this sh*t! LOL

[@gregorytoddsmith9744]

It didn't stop there. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qH69lKKImricrsU

[@aellis6692]

WTF

[@superchuckanucka]

So we’re not going to talk about how close this was or basically on the Jicarilla Apache Tribal reservation? This sounds like a bad intentioned colonial project