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British Nuclear tests at Maralinga occurred between 1956 and 1963 at the Maralinga site, part of the Woomera Prohibited Area in South Australia and about 800 kilometres north-west of Adelaide. A total of seven nuclear tests were performed, with approximate yields ranging from . Two major test series were conducted at the Maralinga site: ''Operation Buffalo'' and ''Operation Antler''. The site was also used for hundreds of minor trials, many of which were intended to investigate the effects of fire or non-nuclear explosions on atomic weapons. The site was contaminated with radioactive materials and an initial cleanup was attempted in 1967. The McClelland Royal Commission, an examination of the effects of the tests, delivered its report in 1985, and found that significant radiation hazards still existed at many of the Maralinga test areas. It recommended another cleanup, which was completed in 2000 at a cost of $108 million. Debate continued over the safety of the site and the long-term health effects on the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land and former personnel. In 1994, the Australian Government paid compensation amounting to $13.5 million to the local Maralinga Tjarutja people. The Maralinga tests were subject to extreme secrecy, but by the late 1970s there was a marked change in how the Australian media covered the British nuclear tests. Some journalists investigated the subject and political scrutiny became more intense. Journalist Brian Toohey ran a series of stories in the ''Australian Financial Review'' in October 1978, based in part on a leaked Cabinet submission. In June 1993, ''New Scientist'' journalist Ian Anderson wrote an article titled "Britain's dirty deeds at Maralinga" and several related articles. In 2007, ''Maralinga: Australia's Nuclear Waste Cover-up'' by Alan Parkinson documented the unsuccessful clean-up at Maralinga.〔(Maralinga - Australia's nuclear waste cover-up )〕〔(Nuclear waste and indigenous rights )〕〔( Maralinga's nuclear nightmare continues )〕 Popular songs about the Maralinga story have been written by Paul Kelly, Midnight Oil, Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe and Alistair Hulett. ==Historical context== On 3 October 1952, the United Kingdom tested its first nuclear weapon, named "Hurricane", at the Monte Bello Islands off the coast of Western Australia. A year later the first nuclear test on the Australian mainland was ''Totem 1'' () at Emu Field in the Great Victoria Desert, South Australia, on 15 October 1953. ''Totem 2'' () followed two weeks later on 27 October. The British government formally requested a permanent test facility on 30 October 1953. Due to concerns about nuclear fallout from the previous tests at Emu Field and the site's inadequate infrastructure and water supply, the recently surveyed Maralinga site was selected for this purpose.〔Atomic Weapons Tests in: (【引用サイトリンク】 title=Federation and Meteorology )〕 The new site was announced in May 1955.〔〔Sources give slightly varying dates for the request and selection of the site.〕 It was developed as a joint, co-funded facility between the British and Australian governments.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Fact sheet 129: British nuclear tests at Maralinga )〕 Prior to selection, the Maralinga site was inhabited by the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Aboriginal people, for whom it had a "great spiritual significance". Many were relocated to a new settlement at Yulata, and attempts were made to curtail access to the Maralinga site. These were often unsuccessful.〔A toxic legacy : British nuclear weapons testing in Australia in: 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「British nuclear tests at Maralinga」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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