Project Gnome Atomic Explosion Site

Loving, New Mexico

Could an atomic bomb, exploded underground, melt an underground salt deposit? The Atomic Energy Commission believed that it could -- and if it could, then the superhot salt could turn nearby water into steam that could then be piped to turbines to generate electricity! That was the idea anyway.

On December 10, 1961, a three-kiloton bomb was exploded only 1,200 feet below the surface. Steam and smoke poured from the hole -- radioactive steam and smoke, making the experiment useless and rendering the site off-limits for days. The hole was eventually plugged and a plaque now marks the spot. It warns visitors against digging for potentially still-radioactive souvenirs. That's prudent, because while there are several atomic explosion sites in the U.S. that you can still visit, the Project Gnome site is the closest to a major metropolitan area -- only a 40 minute drive from downtown Carlsbad.