In the late 60's, as the US was developing and testing bigger and bigger bombs, folks in Las Vegas were getting more and more concerned about the safety and noise from the ongoing nuclear detonations at the Nevada Test Site, located only 70 miles from Las Vegas.  A new possible site was suggested in Central Nevada, and a single large underground detonation was performed to test the suitability of the site.  This is another of a handful of sites in the west were anyone can drive to ground zero of a nuclear detonation.   I visited the site this fall, and some pictures are below.

A detailed article on the project, written by Michon Mackedon, can be found here:
Project Faultless: Central Nevada's Near Miss as an Atomic Proving Ground
 

Ground zero for the blast.  This is the plug at the top of the drill hole.  A plaque is attached.  Morey Peak is in the background.
 
 

The plaque reads Project Faultless, January 19, 1968.  A nuclear detonation was conducted below this spot at a depth of 3,200 feet.  The device, with a yield of less than one megaton, was detonated to determine the environmental and structural effects that might be expected should subsequent higher yield underground nuclear tests be conducted in this vacinity.  No excavation, drilling and/or removal of materials is permitted without U.S. Government approval within blah blah blah..
 

An overview of the blast site.  The detonation, ironically called "Project Faultless" produced severe faulting in an approximate circle around ground zero, as seen above.  A few years ago, some of the still-radioactive soils at the site were scraped and buried.  There are several large areas at the site where this "corrective action" was performed, and have become the main visible features at the site.
 
 

One of the faults from the detonation, where the ground shifted up to 10 feet vertically.  Morey Peak in background.
 

One of the fenced-off "corrective action" pits.  Petroleum Impacted Soil?   What the heck is that?  Speak English!  Or even better, speak the truth.  It's buried radioactive soil.  There is no clear indication that there is a radioactive threat at this site.  No radioactive symbols, and nothing even on the plaque.  Since the pits are the main site features now, the ground zero plug with the plaque is not obvious and takes some looking to find.

As I was leaving the site, I slowed down to pass a truck at an intersection.  Two grizzled men in a  beat up Nissan pickup were idling.  They looked to be long-time Nevada residents, maybe men who have driven mining haul trucks for many years.  They waved me over.

The driver asked me, "What do you think is up in them pits?"

"Well," I said, "I think it's buried radioactive soil from the atomic test they set off up there."

"There weren't any atomic bombs around here," he said.

"There's a plaque up there that says there was a bomb set off in the late 60's..."

"Nah, all that testing stuff was down south."

"There were a couple of tests done in Central Nevada," I said.  "There's a plaque up there that says there was one right up there."

His cheek pulled in skepticism.  "You hunting, or just looking around?"

"Just looking around."

"We're hunting."  He raised a can of Budweiser in salute.  "Have a good one."  He took a sip and drove off north, away from the site,  in a cloud of dust.

Empty plastic-lined open pit at the site, purpose unknown.  Probably used during the "corrective action" activities.

Logos, or possibly, graffiti on the ground zero plug.

Graffiti on the ground zero plug.  There looked to be Germans who had visited, and possibly created the graffiti.

Arial photo of the site, after "corrective action".  Not the long crack.  I've seen this site from an airline several times on flights to Denver from California.  The distinctive circular road is an easy marker.

You can go there too.  Here's a map.  The dirt  roads to the site are well paved and present no risks to any passenger car.  Here are written directions:

From Warm Springs, the site of an abandoned store east of Tonopah on Hwy. 6, head east on U.S. Highway 6 for 25 1/2 miles to the road which would go to Lunar Crater. Instead of going south to Lunar Crater, go north on a dirt road for 12 miles. There will be a curve, and then a stop sign. From the stop sign go straight about two and one half miles to Ground Zero.