In 1967, the US detonated a 29-kiloton nuclear device 4,227 feet below New Mexico to unlock natural gas

In 1967, the United States tried an unusual method to increase natural gas production. It detonated a 29-kiloton device and had an explosoion 4,227 feet below the ground in north-western New Mexico to stimulate the flow of natural gas.

According to the US Department of Energy (DOE), the test, known as Project Gasbuggy, was carried out on December 10, 1967, at a site in Rio Arriba County. The location is about 55 miles east of Farmington and 12 miles south-west of Dulce, in the Carson National Forest. The site covers 640 acres.

The nuclear device was placed in an emplacement well called GB-E. The aim was to use the blast to fracture the rock around a gas-bearing formation and create pathways through which natural gas could flow more easily.

The test was part of the Plowshare Program, which was designed to explore peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The Atomic Energy Commission, a predecessor of the DOE, carried out the project jointly with the US Department of the Interior and El Paso Natural Gas Company. Gasbuggy became the first natural gas reservoir stimulation experiment under the programme.

When the nuclear device exploded, the extremely high temperature from the blast vaporised some of the surrounding rock. This temporarily created a large cavity underground, surrounded by fractured rock.

The fractured rock above the cavity later collapsed into the empty space. This formed a rubble-filled collapse chimney extending above the original detonation point.

As the underground cavity cooled, melted and vaporised rock collected at its bottom and solidified. The resulting material, known as melt glass because of its glass-like texture, trapped most of the radionuclides with high melting points.

The idea was to use the fractures created by the nuclear explosion to help natural gas move towards the collapse chimney. The chimney would then act as a collection chamber for the gas.

To test whether the method worked, a re-entry well called GB-ER was drilled into the collapse chimney. Gas from the detonation zone was then brought to the surface and flared during a series of production tests.

Production testing began in July 1968 and continued until October 1969. Over five tests, the project produced 213 million cubic feet of natural gas.

The DOE took over the water monitoring programme in 2008. Tests did not find radionuclides linked to Gasbuggy in the sampled locations, and the programme was stopped in 2015.

The focus later shifted to nearby gas wells. The DOE began testing natural gas and water from active wells around the site in 2009. No Gasbuggy-related contamination has been found in the samples.

Today, the Carson National Forest land has largely returned to its earlier use. There are no restrictions on surface use, although historical markers and a small parking area mark the site of the underground test.

Restrictions remain underground because radioactive material is still present near the blast site. The DOE continues to monitor the area and oversee the site's long-term safety.