Nuclear Test Blast Shakes Nevada Desert

LAS VEGAS — A major nuclear weapons test rocked the Nevada desert Saturday after a nearly two-hour delay due to technical problems that stopped the countdown five seconds before detonation.

U.S. Department of Energy spokesman Jim Boyer said the blast caused considerable ground motion at the control point, 35 miles from ground zero.

According to the National Earthquake Information Center in Boulder, Colo., the underground test 100 miles northwest of here measured 5.6 on the Richter scale.

The device was described as having an explosive force equivalent to about 150,000 tons of TNT. The test, code named Bodie, was the 20th announced shot since the Soviet Union announced a unilateral test ban on Aug. 6, 1985.

The blast was scheduled for 8 a.m. and Boyer was counting the final seconds away when he stopped with five seconds remaining. The test was finally conducted at 9:50 a.m.

Boyer said such last-second delays are not uncommon, but they are not routine, either. He said there was no explanation for the delay other than technical reasons.

The delay was not caused by any protesters at the site, he said. Four protesters set out Wednesday night to hike to ground zero in an effort to halt the test, but left the next day because of freezing weather.

The test was originally scheduled for Friday, but unfavorable wind conditions forced a one-day postponement.