U.S. Conducts First Nuclear Test of 1989
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MERCURY, Nev. — U.S. scientists conducted their first underground nuclear weapons test of 1989 on Friday. The blast rocked the desert with a force of a magnitude 5.1 earthquake, the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo., reported.
Slight motion was detected in some high-rise buildings in Las Vegas, 80 miles from ground zero.
“The control point building is rocking,” said Energy Department spokesman Jim Boyer, who was at the control center 7.5 miles from ground zero. Detonation was at 12:06 p.m.
The test, code-named Texarkana, had been scheduled for Thursday morning but was delayed by snow.
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