Pre-INL explosions in 1946 Near the Big Southern Butte
INL post-WWII explosives testing
12/2/20251 min read
In the book, Tilden, an explosion from 1946 near the Big Southern Butte is referenced. Watch this video of it, an actual occurrence:
As the protagonist Henry mentioned, earlier explosions occurred in the prior year, almost immediately after WWII's end, though all of them smaller, varying from 125k pounds of TNT to 250k, half as large as the 1946 blast.
The TNT explosion referred to in Tilden occurred in the fall of 1946, was
indeed a half million pounds detonated just a half mile from another million and a
half pounds of TNT stored in an “igloo”. See the blast on this link:
If you have a New York Times subscription you can read about it at
Similar, though smaller, blasts took place throughout the prior year, the end of
WWII apparently just a springboard for preparing for the next offensive. Here’s a list of
the blasts:
October 18—125,000 lbs. detonated
October 19—125,000 lbs. detonated
October 30—250,000 lbs. detonated
October 30—another blast of 250k
October 30—another blast, smaller at 125k
October 31—250,000 lbs. detonated
October 31—a second blast of 250k
There were other blasts, with reports of being heard in Oregon and felt in California.
The tests occurred at Scofield, northwest of the Big Southern Butte, within what is
now the confines of the INEL. The biggest blast sent a plume a mile high, and the
plume of another reached over 2000 ft. high just two minutes after detonation.
