A record of emplacement conditions from trapped volatile gases within nuclear test debris

Nuclear melt glass provides a valuable archive of information about the nature of the nuclear detonation. Study of melt glasses provides information on the device materials and performance, the emplacement conditions, the venting conditions (if any), and future environmental and human health impacts. Despite extensive study, direct records of redox conditions and cooling histories of the post-detonation environment are sparse. Post-detonation cavity pressure measurements at the National Nuclear Security Site (formerly Nevada Test Site) were only performed on a very small number of tests, and cavity temperature measurements were never successfully made historically. This study describes a new analytical approach to these questions based on the quantification of the abundances of volatile gases hosted within inclusions in the melt glass and provides results of analyses from nuclear tests conducted in a variety of settings, from detonation on a surface mounted tower (TRINITY) to shallow buried hard-rock testing (PALANQUIN) and more deeply buried alluvial testing (PIKE, BANDICOOT). The resulting implications to redox conditions are surprisingly varied and to some degree, counterintuitive.