Buster-Jangle Test Series
Nuclear Test BAKER-BJ
Detonated: 28 October 1951
Time: 1520 GMT
TYPE OF DETONATION: Airburst
ALTITUDE OF DETONATION: 340 m (above ground)
REPORTED YIELD: 3.5 kilotons
RADIOIODINE (I-131) PRODUCED: 6.0 x 10E5 Curies
STABILIZED CLOUD HEIGHT: Top 8.8 km, msl;
Base 7.0 km, msl
MEASUREMENTS AVAILABLE FROM GROUND-LEVEL COLLECTORS: Yes
RADIOIODINE IN COUNTIES WITHOUT GROUND-LEVEL COLLECTORS
ESTIMATED BY: AIPC method.
CLOSE-IN FALLOUT PATTERN AVAILABLE: No
Trajectory and Fallout Characteristics
Buster-Jangle, Baker
Close-In Fallout
No close-in fallout data have been located for this test.
Town Data Base
No Town Data Base estimates were made for this test.
County Data Base
No County Data Base fallout estimates were made for this test.
Upper-Air Trajectories
The upper-air trajectories from NTS, calculated at four altitudes (3.0 to
9.1 km) for this test, were unusual in that they started toward the west-
southwest instead of the usual movement to the east or northeast. These are
displayed in Fig. BJ/1/T. They continued in a curve, or loop, to the left
several hundred kilometers out over the Pacific Ocean. Then, circling counter-
clockwise, reentered the U.S. near the end of the first day after detonation
across the south border of California moving northeastward. The trajectories
then moved generally to the east at varying speeds and exited the U.S. between
Delaware and Maine. However, the 3.0 km trajectory diverted from the others
by turning sharply to the right in southwest Colorado on the third day after
detonation then moved southeastward to southern Arkansas. It then accelerated
across Arkansas while slowly turning to the left. It exited the U.S. over
Massachusetts at the end of the fifth day.
The original curved trajectories (over the Pacific Ocean), calculated by
the Weather Bureau, are poorly depicted in the trajectory map because of the
convention of drawing straight lines between six-hour trajectory positions.
The 5.5 km trajectory was split into left and right branches while it was
several hundred kilometers south of Los Angeles in the large loop. This was
due to uncertainty in wind movement over the ocean because of a paucity of
upper air wind data. The left branch curved to the north, and moved over San
Diego and Los Angeles. It turned to the left out over the ocean again in
a tight circle. Extrapolation of this path took it back over Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, the right branch moved parallel with the other trajectories into
southern California and western Arizona. Virtually no directional shear
occurred in the first 1 1/2 days after the explosion.
Depositions of radioactive iodine (I-131) were moderate to heavy with the
heaviest fallout occurring in the east and northeast as the result of rain
(Table BJ/1/GF). Fallout was almost entirely confined within the envelope of
the trajectory tracks. The earliest fallout observed was a medium light dry
deposition at Los Angeles on the second day (1800 GMT, 29 Oct. to 1800 GMT, 30
Oct.). This most likely resulted from the left branch of the 5.5 km trajectory
that curved over Los Angeles during the second day. Very light amounts of
fallout were also recorded at Atlanta, GA; Elkins, WV; and Binghamton, NY on
the third day. The 7.3 and 9.1 kilometer trajectories bracketed Elkins and
Binghamton on this day but no trajectory was near Atlanta on the third day.
Light fallout was recorded from Missouri and Oklahoma eastward into the
midwest on the fourth through the sixth days (1800 GMT, 2 Nov. to 1800 GMT, 3
Nov.) as delayed deposition since all trajectories had left the area. Heavy
wet depositions were in New England on the fourth and fifth days in rain just
as the 5.5 and 7.3 km trajectories were very close to the locations of the
depositions.
Figure BJ/1/T. Estimated trajectories, at several altitudes, of the radioactive cloud resulting
from the test BAKER of 28 October 1951. Numbers indicate the position of each
trajectory at 0000 GMT for several days following the explosion.
Figure BJ/1/F.
Table BJ/1/GF. Estimates of I-131 daily deposition derived from gummed-film results and associated
precipitation indices for the shot BAKER detonated 10/28/1951.
. Dep = daily deposition of I-131 per unit area of ground (nCi per sq m)
. Pi = precipitation index
Site State Month and day
_________________________________
10/28 10/29 10/30
Dep Pi Dep Pi Dep Pi
ABILENE TX 0 1 0 1 0 1
ALAMOSA CO NA 1 NA 1 NA 1
ALBUQUERQUE NM NA 1 NA 1 NA 1
ATLANTA GA 0 1 0 1 4 4
ATLANTIC CTY NJ 0 1 0 1 0 1
BINGHAMTON NY 0 1 0 1 2 2
BISMARCK ND 0 1 0 1 0 1
BOISE ID NA 1 NA 1 NA 1
BURLINGTON VT 0 1 0 1 0 1
CARIBOU ME 0 1 0 1 0 1
CHATTANOOGA TN 0 1 0 1 0 1
CINCINNATI OH 0 1 0 1 0 1
CLEVELAND OH 0 1 0 1 0 1
COLO SPRINGS CO 0 1 0 1 0 1
COLUMBIA SC 0 1 0 1 0 1
CORPUS CRIS. TX 0 1 0 1 0 1
DEL RIO TX 0 1 0 1 0 1
ELKINS WV 0 1 0 1 16 6
FORT WAYNE IN 0 1 0 1 0 1
GRAND JNC CO NA 1 NA 1 NA 1
GRAND RAPIDS MI 0 1 0 1 0 1
GREAT FALLS MT 0 1 0 1 0 1
HARTFORD CT 0 1 0 1 0 1
INTER. FALLS MN 0 1 0 1 0 1
LEXINGTON KY 0 1 0 1 0 1
La CROSSE WI 0 1 0 1 0 1
MEDFORD OR 0 1 0 1 0 1
MEMPHIS TN 0 1 1 2 0 1
MILFORD UT NA 1 NA 1 NA 1
MONTGOMERY AL 0 1 0 1 0 1
N CUMBERLAND PA 0 1 0 1 0 1
NASHVILLE TN 0 1 0 1 0 1
NEW ORLEANS LA 0 1 0 1 1 5
____________________
NA = not available
1 Table BJ/1/GF (continued)
Site State Month and day
_________________________________
10/28 10/29 10/30
Dep Pi Dep Pi Dep Pi
NEW YORK AEC NY 0 1 0 1 0 1
NORFOLK NB 0 1 0 1 0 1
NORFOLK VA 0 1 0 1 0 1
OKLA CITY OK 0 1 0 1 0 1
PENDLETON OR 0 1 0 1 0 1
PEORIA IL 0 1 1 3 0 1
PHOENIX AZ NA 1 NA 1 NA 1
POCATELLO ID 0 1 0 1 0 1
RALEIGH NC 0 1 0 1 0 1
ROCHESTER NY 0 1 0 1 0 1
SACRAMENTO CA 0 1 0 1 0 1
SALT LAKE UT 0 1 0 1 0 1
SAN DIEGO CA 0 1 1 2 0 1
SANTA MARIA CA 0 1 53 1 0 1
SEATTLE WA 0 1 0 1 0 1
ST. CLOUD MN 0 1 0 1 0 1
ST. MARIE MI 0 1 0 1 0 1
TALLAHASSEE FL 0 1 0 1 0 1
TAMPA FL 0 1 0 1 0 1
TEXARKANA AK 0 1 1 5 0 1
TOPEKA KS 0 1 0 1 0 1
TUCSON AZ 0 1 0 1 0 1
WASHINGTON DC 0 1 0 1 0 1
WINNEMUCCA NV NA 1 NA 1 NA 1
WINSLOW AZ NA 1 NA 1 NA 1
YUMA AZ NA 1 NA 1 NA 1
____________________
NA = not available
Figure BJ/1/CD.