''Gerboise Blanche'' (or ''Opération Gerboise Blanche'') was the

codename A code name, call sign or cryptonym is a Code word (figure of speech), code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may ...

of the second French nuclear test. It was conducted by the Nuclear Experiments Operational Group (GOEN), a unit of the Joint Special Weapons Command on 1 April 1960, at the Saharan Military Experiments Centre near

Reggane Reggane (from Berber "Argan"; ar, رقان) is a town and commune, and the capital of Reggane District, in Adrar Province, central Algeria. Reggane lies in the Sahara Desert near an oasis. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 20,40 ...

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

in the

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

desert region of

Tanezrouft The Tanezrouft ( ar, تنزروفت) is a natural region located along the borders of Algeria and Mali, west of the Hoggar Mountains. Along with the Libyan Desert it is one of the most desolate and most arid parts of the Sahara Desert. This area ha ...

, during the

Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

Name

''Gerboise'' is the French word for

jerboa Jerboas (from ar, جربوع ') are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia, and are members of the family Dipodidae. They tend to live in hot deserts. When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are preyed on b ...

, a desert

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

found in the Sahara. The color white (''Blanche'') adjuncted is said to come from the second colour of the

French Flag The national flag of France (french: link=no, drapeau français) is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue ( hoist side), white, and red. It is known to English speakers as the ''Tricolour'' (), although the flag of Ireland ...

Test

Explosion

''Gerboise Blanche'' operation was carried out 3 months after the success of the first test, ''

Gerboise Bleue ''Gerboise Bleue'' (; ) was the codename of the first French nuclear test. It was conducted by the Nuclear Experiments Operational Group (GOEN), a unit of the Joint Special Weapons Command on 13 February 1960, at the Saharan Military Experimen ...

''. Unlike the first attempt and the two others that were to come, this bomb was placed a few kilometres from ground zero, and detonated on a concrete pad. This was a voluntary act of the authorities as they feared the usual test site would have been too contaminated for the next tests. On 1 April 1960 at 6:17:00 UTC, the 1,250 kg plutonium filled fission bomb was detonated with a yield of 3 kt. The explosion created a crater that was later filled in. The Ministry of the Armed Forces subsequently asserted that the test paved the way for the miniaturization of this type of weapon, and that the lower yield was voluntary. A 2001 document of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

confirmed this assertion while claiming that the bomb was an "emergency device" that would have been used had ''

'' failed.

Fallout

Initial monitoring reported a radiation dose of 100

rad RAD or Rad may refer to: People * Robert Anthony Rad Dougall (born 1951), South African former racing driver * Rad Hourani, Canadian fashion designer and artist * Nickname of Leonardus Rad Kortenhorst (1886–1963), Dutch politician * Radley R ...

/h at 3 km from ground zero one hour after the blast, and 0.3 rad/h at 45 km. Monitoring at

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

, around 3,400 km from Reggane, reported 10⁻¹⁰ Ci/m³. In 2005, the Algerian government asked for a study to assess the radioactivity of former nuclear testing sites. The

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...

published the report suggesting that ''Gerboise Blanche'' explosion site had the highest

Caesium-137 Caesium-137 (), cesium-137 (US), or radiocaesium, is a radioactive isotope of caesium that is formed as one of the more common fission products by the nuclear fission of uranium-235 and other fissionable isotopes in nuclear reactors and nucl ...

surface levels of the four tests, with a residual surface activity between 0.02 and 3.0 MBq/m² over a surface area of about 1 km². The same report showed that while the fallout of the 3 other tests of the Reggane series were contained in circular areas of less than 1 km in diameter, the fallout of ''Gerboise blanche'' expanded south-west over a distance of more than 6 km.

Notes

References

External links

Photographic analysis of Pierre Billaud, physician present at the test
{{Nuclear weapons tests of France French nuclear weapons testing 1960 in France 1960 in Algeria History of the Sahara Algerian War Algeria–France relations 1960 in science 1960 in military history 1960 in politics April 1960 events in Africa