Sites Database--GIS Surface Effects Map Archive

The surface effects sites database contains detonation and surface effects map information for 922 underground detonations conducted at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) between 1951 and 1992. The database is provided in both ArcGIS (v. 8.2) geodatabase format and ArcView (v. 3.2) shapefile format as a point coverage. The database is used for information storage and to map the locations of detonation sites on surface effects maps. The surface effects sites database was prepared specifically for the GIS Surface Effects Map Archive. It contains pertinent borehole (site) and detonation information derived from the NTS_UGE (Underground Explosions) database, as well as information about the surface effects maps contained in the GIS Surface Effects Map Archive. The surface effects sites database can be joined (or linked) to other external databases using the fields "Bn_seq" and "Name," which contain unique values for each detonation (record) in the database. Borehole identification names, which are listed in the field "Siteid," are not unique in that multiple detonations were conducted within the same borehole at more than 50 sites.

About the NTS_UGE Database: The NTS_UGE database was compiled from data collected by the DOE Nevada Operations, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the USGS Water Resource Division. The purpose of the NTS_UGE database was "to establish accurate and well-know source information on nuclear tests including event (detonation) names, borehole names, locations, working points, land surface elevations, and regional water level estimates so that cross references to other existing databases that are used in the management of nuclear event data could be made; and to determine, based on various criteria, the events that most likely were detonated in close proximity to the regional ground water system." The NTS_UGE database was intended to be the standard database on underground nuclear tests at the NTS, and to be used by DOE/NV Environmental Restoration Division.

The surface effects sites database is used to identify and display the locations of all underground detonations at the NTS. The database contains information related to each detonation, as well as information about the surface effects maps that were produced for the detonations. The database can be used to query and select detonations and boreholes based on the fields "Name" or "Siteid," and to select and map specific detonations or groups of detonations based on user-specified surface effects characteristics.

Three duplicate versions of the surface effects sites database are contained in the GIS Surface Effects Map Archive. They are: (1) a geodatabase version in Nevada State Plane, NAD27 (Se_sites.mdb), (2) a shapefile version in Nevada State Plane, NAD27 (se_sites_n27f.shp), and (3) a shapefile version in Universal Transverse Mercator, NAD83 (se_sites_u83m.shp). All contain the same information.

The horizontal positional accuracy of each detonation site was numerically verified against site locations contained in the master sites database maintained by DOE/NV and compared to the detonation site locations shown on the original mylar surface effects maps. Nevada State Plane Coordinates (Eastings and Northings) were used for the detonation site (point) locations and to compute the UTM coordinate pairs contained in the database.

Vertical data contained in the sites database were derived from the NTS_UGE database. No formal testing was conducted to verify the accruacy of these data.