TRINITITE

This is a rare Specimen for the Serious Collector,

one with touching History.

Name: TRINITITE, atomic bomb fusion glass
Location: White Sands Missile Range , N.M.
Country: New Mexico, U.S.A.
Date: 1st Atomic Bomb Blast July 16, 1945, 5:29:45 a.m.
Dimensions: 26.2 x 18.8 x 9.3 mm max.
Weight: 3.22 g

This Specimen of Trinitite is still radioactive ( <0.5 micro roentgen/h) after more than 60 years and still emits alpha and beta particles. Even though its radiation is in the as safe accepted levels this material should be safe kept from minors, not cut and polished with a lapidary machine nor licked at or worn as a charm etc.! Digested or inhaled as dust it can be very harmful! Please wash your hands after handling!

Trinity Site is where the first atomic bomb was tested at 5:29:45 a.m. Mountain War Time on July 16, 1945. The 19 kiloton explosion not only led to a quick end to the war in the Pacific but also ushered the world into the atomic age. All life on Earth has been touched by the event which took place here.

The 51,500-acre area was declared a national historic landmark in 1975.

Included on a Trinity Site tour is Ground Zero where the atomic bomb was placed on a 100-foot steel tower. A small monument now marks the spot.

The area at Ground Zero is fenced in.There is still low Radiation existant. On an average the levels are only 10 times greater than the region's natural background radiation. A one-hour visit to the inner fenced area will result in a whole body exposure of one-half to one milliroentgen.

To put this in perspective, a U.S. adult receives an average exposure of 90 milliroentgens every year from natural and medical sources. For instance, the Department of Energy says we receive between 35 and 50 milliroentgens every year from the sun and from 20 to 35 milliroentgens every year from our food. Living in a brick house adds 50 milliroentgens of exposure every year compared to living in a frame house.

Trinity is located on the northern end of the 3,200-square-mile White Sands Missile Range , N.M. , between the towns of Carrizozo and Socorro, N.M.