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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_Test_Site
Area-51 & Nevada Test Range
The Nevada Test Site is broken down into areas. Some of the areas and their uses include the following:
Area 1
Area 1 held 8 nuclear tests for a total of 9 detonations. 4 early atmospheric tests were conducted above Area 1 in the early 1950s as well as three underground tests in 1971 and 1990. In 1955, a Civil Defense experiment (called Operation Cue in the press) studied nuclear blast effects on various building types. A few structures still stand.
Heavy drilling equipment and concrete construction facilities are sited in Area 1. Non-destructive X-ray, gamma ray, and subcritical detonation tests continue to be conducted in Area 1.
The radioactivity present on the ground in Area 1 provides a radiologically contaminated environment for the training of first responders.
Area 2
Area 2 is a division of the Nevada Test Site in the Mojave Desert. The area is located 18 miles southwest of Area 51.
Area 2 was the site of 144 tests comprising 169 detonations. Shot "Gabbs", intended for 1993, was abandoned in place.
Area 3
Area 3 held 266 nuclear tests for a total of 288 detonations (more than in any other area of the NTS).
As part of Operation Tinderbox, on 24 June 1980 a small satellite prototype (DSCS III) was subjected to radioactivity from the "Huron King" shot in a vertical line-of-sight (VLOS) test undertaken in Area 3. This was a program to improve the database on nuclear hardening design techniques for defense satellites.
The final nuclear test detonation at Nevada Test Site was Operation Julin's "Divider" on 23 September 1992 just prior to the moratorium temporarily ending all nuclear testing. Divider was a safety experiment test shot that was detonated at the bottom of a shaft sunk into Area 3.
In 1995 and 1997, plutonium-contaminated soil from "Double Tracks" and "Clean Slate 1" of Operation Roller Coaster (1963) was picked up from the Tonopah Test Range and brought to the Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site as a first step in eventually returning Tonopah Test Range to an environmentally neutral state. Corrective action regarding the contaminated material from the "Clean Slate 2" and "Clean Slate 3" tests has yet to be agreed upon.
Area 4
Area 4 held 40 nuclear tests for a total of 44 detonations. It is home to the Big Explosives Experimental Facility (BEEF).
Area 5
Area 5 held 19 nuclear tests. 5 atmospheric tests were detonated starting on 27 January 1951 at Area 5 as part of Operation Ranger. These were the first nuclear tests at NTS. Further tower detonations were studied at Area 5 and the Grable shot which was fired from a M65 Atomic Cannon located in Area 11 exploded in Area 5. The Priscilla test was conducted at Area 5 on 24 June 1957.
5 underground tests were set up at Area 5. Four of those suffered accidental release of radioactive materials. On 16 March 1968, physicist Glenn T. Seaborg toured the upcoming Milk Shake shot of Operation Crosstie. Milk Shake's radioactive release was not detected outside of NTS boundaries.
Area 6
Area 6 held 4 nuclear tests for a total of 6 detonations. The only 2 towns to be established within the boundaries of NTS prior to 1947 -- BJ Wye and Mule Lick -- are located in Yucca Flats in Area 6. The area features an asphalt runway that was constructed on top of a dirt landing strip that existed since the 1950s. Some buildings including a hangar are situated near the runway.
The Device Assembly Facility (DAF) was originally built to consolidate nuclear explosives assembly operations. It now serves as the Criticality Experiments Facility (CEF).
The Control Point is the communication hub of the NTS. It was used by controllers to trigger and monitor nuclear test explosions.
In 1982 while a live nuclear bomb was being lowered underground, the base came under attack by armed combatants. The combatants turned out to be a security team conducting an improperly scheduled drill.
Area 7
Area 7 held 92 nuclear tests. During Operation Buster, 4 successful tests were conducted via airdrop with bomber aircraft releasing nuclear weapons over Area 7.
It is also the site of Matthew Reilly's book called Area 7.
Shot "Icecap" planned for 1993 was abandoned in Area 7 following 1992's testing moratorium. The tower, shaft, and wiring remain in place along with a crane intended to lower the nuclear test package into the shaft.
Area 8
Area 8 held 13 nuclear tests for a total of 15 detonations.
Area 8 hosted the "Baneberry" shot of Operation Emery on 18 December 1970. The Baneberry 10 kt (42 TJ) test detonated 900 feet (270 m) below the surface. But its energy cracked the soil in unexpected ways causing a fissure near ground zero and the failure of the shaft stemming and cap. A plume of fire and dust was released raining fallout on workers in different locations within NTS. The radioactive plume released 6.7 megacuries (250 PBq) of radioactive material, including 80 kCi (3.0 PBq) of 131I.
Area 9
Area 9 held 115 nuclear tests for a total of 133 detonations.
In Area 9, the 74 kt (310 TJ) "Hood" test on 5 July 1957 (part of Operation Plumbbob) was the largest atmospheric test ever conducted within the continental United States; nearly 5 times larger in yield than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. A balloon carried Hood up to 460 meters above the ground where it was detonated. Over 2,000 troops took part in the test in order to train them in conducting operations on the nuclear battlefield. 11 megacuries (410 PBq) of Iodine-131 (131I) were released into the air.
Area 10
Area 10 held 57 nuclear tests for a total of 71 detonations.
The first underground test at NTS was the "Uncle" shot of Operation Jangle. Uncle detonated on 29 November 1951 within a shaft sunk into Area 10.
The "John" shot of Plumbbob on 19 July 1957 was the first test firing of the nuclear-tipped AIR-2 Genie air-to-air rocket designed to destroy incoming enemy bombers with a nuclear explosion. The 2 kt (8.4 TJ) warhead exploded approximately 3 miles above 5 volunteers and a photographer who stood unprotected at "ground zero" in Area 10 to show the apparent safety of battlefield nuclear weapons to personnel on the ground. The test also demonstrated the ability of a fighter aircraft to deliver a nuclear-tipped rocket and avoid being destroyed in the process. A Northrop F-89J fired the rocket.
The "Sedan" test of Operation Storax on 6 July 1962 was a 104 kt (440 TJ) shot for the Operation Plowshare which sought to discover whether nuclear weapons could be used for peaceful means in creating lakes, bays or canals. The explosion displaced 12 million tons of earth creating the Sedan crater which is 1,280 feet (390 m) wide and 320 feet (100 m) deep.
Area 11
Area 11 held 9 nuclear tests. Four of the tests were weapons safety experiments conducted as Project 56. They spread so much harmful radioactive material around the test sites that Area 11 has been called "Plutonium Valley". As is the case with Area 1, background radiation levels make Area 11 suitable for realistic training in methods of radiation detection.
Area 12
Area 12 held 61 nuclear tests between 1957 and 1992, one of which involved 2 detonations. All tests were conducted below Rainier and Aqueduct mesas.
Area 12 was the primary location for tunnel tests and used almost exclusively for that purpose. The tunnel complexes mined into Rainier and Aqueduct Mesa include the B-, C-, D-, E-, F-, G-, I-, J-, K-, N-, P-, and T-Tunnel complexes and the R- and S- shafts.
Area 13
There is no "Area 13" within NNSS, though such a name is attached to a section of Nellis Air Force Range which abuts the northeastern corner of Area 15. Project 57's weapons safety test was conducted here on 24 April 1957 spreading particles emitting alpha radiation over a large area.
Area 14
Area 14 occupies approximately 26 square miles (67 km2) in the central portion of the NNSS. Various outdoor experiments are conducted in this area. No atmospheric or underground nuclear tests were conducted in Area 14.
Area 15
3 underground detonations took place in area 15 in the 1960s.
Pile Driver was a notable Department of Defense test. A massive underground installation was built to study the survivability of hardened underground bunkers undergoing a nuclear attack. Information from the test was used in designing hardened missile silos and the North American Aerospace Defense Command facility in Colorado Springs.
The abandoned Crystal and Climax mines are found in Area 15. Storage tanks hold contaminated materials.
From 1964 to 1981, the Environmental Protection Agency operated a 36-acre (150,000 m2) experimental farm in Area 15. Extensive plant and soil studies evaluated the uptake of pollutants in farm-grown vegetables and from the forage eaten by a dairy herd of some 30 Holstein cows. Scientists also studied horses, pigs, goats, and chickens.
Area 16
Area 16 held 6 nuclear tests.
Area 17
No nuclear tests took place in Area 17.
Area 18
Area 18 held 5 nuclear tests and includes the Pahute Mesa Airstrip.
Area 19
Pahute Mesa is one of 4 major nuclear test regions within the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). It occupies 243 square miles (630 km2) in the northwest corner of the NNSS. The eastern section is known as Area 19 and the western section as Area 20.
A total of 85 nuclear tests were conducted in Pahute Mesa between 1965 and 1992. Three of them (Boxcar, Benham and Handley) had a yield of over 1 megaton. 3 tests were conducted as part of Operation Plowshare and one as part of Vela Uniform.
(Area 20)
Area 22
No nuclear tests took place in Area 22. Area 22 once held Camp Desert Rock, a staging base for troops undergoing atmospheric nuclear blast training. As many as 9,000 troops were camped there in 1955. Desert Rock Airport's runway was enlarged to a 7,500 ft (2,300 m) length in 1969 by the Atomic Energy Commission. It is a transport hub for personnel and supplies going to NNSS and also serves as an emergency landing strip.
Area 23
No nuclear tests took place in Area 23. The town of Mercury, Nevada lies within Area 23. The area is the main pathway to and from NNSS test locations by way of U.S. Route 95. An open sanitary landfill is located to the west of Mercury and a closed hazardous waste site abuts the landfill.
Mercury is also the main management area for the site which includes a bar and large cafeteria, printing plant, medical center, warehousing, fleet management, liquidation and recycling center, engineering offices, dormitories, and other administrative areas for both the O&M contractors, LLNL, LANL, and SNL personnel. At its height in the 1950s and '60s, it also held several restaurants, a bowling alley, a movie theater, and a motel.
Area 25
Area 25 is the largest named area in the Nevada National Security Site at 254 square miles (660 km2) and has its own direct access from Route 95. Area 25 is commonly called "Jackass Flats" because it is composed primarily of a shallow alluvial basin by that name. No nuclear explosions took place within Area 25.
Area 25 is the site of the now decommissioned Nuclear Rocket Development Station (NRDS). It was built in support of Project Rover to test prototype nuclear rocket engines. The complex includes 3 test stands; the Engine Maintenance, Assembly, and Disassembly (E-MAD) facility; the Reactor Maintenance, Assembly, and Disassembly (R-MAD) facility; a control point/technical operations complex; an administrative area; and a radioactive material storage area.
The R-MAD Facility was built to support the nuclear rocket program and was operational from 1959 through 1970. It was used to assemble reactor engines and to disassemble and study reactor parts and fuel elements after reactor tests. Project Rover was successful, but ultimately canceled.
Portions of Area 25 are used by the military for training exercises. The U.S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory conducts open-air and X-tunnel tests using depleted uranium.
On July 8, 2010, it was announced by Harry Reid, Steven Chu and Ken Salazar that a 25-square-mile (65 km2) portion of this area was being reassigned as a development and test area for new solar technologies.
One of the test stand of Area 25, the Reactor Maintenance, Assembly, and Disassembly (R-MAD) facility has been demolished. The non-radiologically contaminated portions of the facility were demolished in late 2005. Demolition activities for the radiologically contaminated portions of the R-MAD Facility were initiated in October 2009 and completed on July 15, 2010.
Area 26
No nuclear tests took place in Area 26, the most arid section of the NNSS. An old abandoned mine (the Horn Silver Mine) was used for waste disposal between 1959 and the 1970s. Some of the waste is radioactive. Water flow past the shaft could pose a human health risk, so corrective action has been planned.