On 1 November 1952 at 0714:59.4, MIKE was detonated on the surface of Eluklab Island in the Pacific Proving Ground at Enewetak Atoll. This was the first thermonuclear explosion ever, and yielded 10.4 megatons. Eluklab was evaporated, leaving a crater 200 feet deep and 1 mile in diameter. Three Scripps oceanographers were concerned about the possibility of triggering a submarine landslide and generating a tsunami. They persuaded Task Force 132 to evacuate the Proving Ground and perform the test by remote control.

The following paper is adapted from a talk given by Walter Munk on 20 January 2004 at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Southwestern Regional Review Committee.

Munk, W., and D. Day. 2004. IVY-MIKE. Oceanography 17(2):96–105, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2004.53.

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