Lake Lop Nur Test Site, China

Lake Lop Nur Test Site is situated in China on the territory of the dry lake. The firsts tests were made there in October 1964. After this China was recognized as a nuclear-weapon state. For the whole world, nuclear tests in China were the most unexpected thing. Even the representatives of powerful states couldn’t suppose that China can make a powerful nuclear weapon by themselves. The last tests there were held in 1996. For about 30 years this desert area was a place of the dirtiest and dangerous nuclear tests.

In the course of the years the nearby mountain alpine glaciers were drastically polluted. Until now they are polluted with the nuclear waste. Today scientists commit a huge level of radiation in the ice. If the ice caps of the mountains begin to melt, the nearby soil, surface and underground watercourses will be poisoned. When the test site was founded, this territory looked like a semidesert area. However, there were rare plants and herbs which were good for sheep.

Today this area of the large Salt Lake is a lifeless desert with a moon landscape. This test site saw 46 dangerous explosions. According to the unofficial data, from the radioactive poisoning has suffered no less than 200 000 people who lived in the nearby towns and villages. Today the test site is an attractive place for scientists that research how the nuclear weapon effect on plants and animals. Next - Pokharan Test Site