Fangataufa
- ISS002-E-7354
- 15 June 2001
- 20:54 UTC
Fangataufa is an uninhabited atoll of the South Group, located 40 km southeast from Mururoa. The atoll, with dimensions of 5 km by 8 km and covering an area of around 45 km², has numerous islets spread along its reef rim which has an average width of around 200 m. The islets are mostly vegetated with low-lying shrubs. Originally Fangataufa had no pass in to its deep lagoon. However, a 400 m pass in to the lagoon was blasted through the reef to facilitate the nuclear weapons testing program carried out there by the French.
Starting in 1966 Fangataufa was the site of French nuclear weapons testing; four devices were exploded in the atmosphere near the atoll. From 1975 tests were carried out underground — one under the reef rim, and the rest deep under the floor of the lagoon at a depth of 500 - 700 m.
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
