Runit Island
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Runit Island is one of forty islands of the Enewetak Atoll of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The island is the site of a radioactive waste repository left by the United States after it con
Aerial view of the Runit Dome. The dome is placed in the crater created by the "Cactus" nuclear weapons test in 1958.
In 1952, the United States dropped the nuclear bomb Ivy King 610 m (2,000 feet) north of Runit Island.
Crater created by detonation on 5 May 1958 (Operation Hardtack I, Cactus test)
Operation Hardtack I
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Operation Hardtack I was a series of 35 nuclear tests conducted by the United States from April 28 to August 18, 1958, at the Pacific Proving Grounds. At the time of testing, the Operation Hardtack I
Runit Island
…from six different islands in the Enewetak Atoll was transported to the site and mixed with concrete to seal the nuclear blast crater created by the Cactus test. Four thousand US servicemen were involved in the cleanup from this test, and it took three years to complete. The waste-filled crater was finally…
Aerial shot of the explosion during Hardtack I Poplar. Martin RB-57D in the foreground.
The Umbrella blast on June 9 with the SS Michael Moran in front.