The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management installed an interpretive sign at the Pre-Schooner II Site where the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission conducted a non-nuclear cratering experiment.
The site is approximately 40 miles southwest of Bruneau, Idaho, according to a Nov. 29 news release. The new sign, "Creating a Crater," shares the history of the experiment and the project.
"Pre-Schooner II provided the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission with useful data they could incorporate into future tests at other locations," Legacy Management Site Manager Meghann Hurt said in the news release. "As the new sign says, the geology at this location made it ideal to test cratering with the use of non-nuclear explosives."
The experiment was conducted by DOE's predecessor, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1965, the release reported. Legacy Management Program Office Director Carmelo Melendez came up with the idea for an interpretive sign after he visited the crater in 2021 to provide historical insight and background.
"With the Pre-Schooner II Site being located on BLM land, which is open to outdoor enthusiasts, the new sign will help inform the public about a small piece of our nation's history and the significance of a crater situated in such a remote area," Hurt said in the release.
