The Nevada Test Site Phenomena

The Nevada National Security Site, formerly the Nevada Test Site, was the location of 928 nuclear tests between 1951 and 1992. Workers and visitors report strange phenomena including ghost lights, unusual feelings, and unexplained sounds.

The Testing

From 1951 to 1992, the U.S. government detonated 928 nuclear devices at the site, including 100 atmospheric tests. The land absorbed enormous amounts of radioactive energy. Some tests created new craters; others were conducted in tunnels.

The Lights

Workers report seeing balls of light moving across the desert, particularly near test craters. These lights move with apparent intelligence, avoiding observers who approach. Some speculate they are plasma phenomena created by residual radiation.

The Sounds

Unexplained sounds have been reported, including what sounds like machinery operating in areas that have been abandoned for decades. Voices are sometimes heard in empty buildings.

The Feelings

Visitors describe overwhelming feelings of dread, sorrow, or excitement in certain areas. These emotional experiences appear to be location-specific and are reported independently by people with no prior knowledge of what others felt.

The Theories

Some attribute the phenomena to residual energy from the nuclear blasts. Others suggest the violence done to the land created a kind of wound in reality. Skeptics note that expectation and the site’s dramatic history influence perception.

Assessment

Whether the Nevada Test Site’s phenomena are genuine paranormal activity, exotic physics related to nuclear testing, or psychological effects of visiting a place of tremendous destruction, visitors consistently report unusual experiences.