ABM (ANTI-BALLISTIC MISSILE)—A missile to knock down other missiles
ABM TREATY—Treaty between United States and USSR on limitation of ABMs
AEDS (ATOMIC ENERGY DETECTION SYSTEM)—Operated by AFTAC
AFTAC (AIR FORCE TECHNICAL APPLICATIONS CENTER)—Does classified monitoring
BMD (BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE)—Proposals to destroy incoming missiles with missiles
BOOSTED WEAPON—Addition of hydrogen isotopes to a weapon to make it lighter
CD—UN’s Conference on Disarmament
CTBT (COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY)—Ban on testing of nuclear explosions of all yields
CTBTO (COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY ORGANIZATION)—UN Agency for CTBT
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS—Attempt by USSR to introduce nuclear weapons into Cuba in October 1962 and U.S. response
DECOUPLED NUCLEAR TEST—Test fired in a large underground cavity so as to reduce the size of seismic waves produced
EPICENTER—Location of seismic event in latitude and longitude
EVERNDEN, JACK—Seismologist involved with test bans
FAT MAN—Weapon tested in New Mexico and dropped on Nagasaki in 1945
FISSILE MATERIAL—Certain isotopes of uranium and plutonium capable of undergoing nuclear fission
FISSION—Splitting heavier into lighter elements
FUSION—Fusing hydrogen isotopes into helium
HERRIN, GENE—Seismologist involved with nuclear tests
HEU (HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM)—High percentage of uranium 235
HYDROACOUSTIC MONITORING—Detecting sound waves propagated in water
HYPOCENTER—Location of seismic event in three dimensions
IAEA (INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY)—UN agency based in Vienna
ICBM—Intercontinental ballistic missile
IMS (INTERNATIONAL MONITORING SYSTEM)—Monitors CTBT internationally
INF (INTERMEDIATE-RANGE NUCLEAR FORCES) TREATY—Treaty between United States and USSR for systems capable of delivering nuclear weapons between short and intercontinental distances
INFRASOUND MONITORING—Detecting very low frequency sound waves propagated in the atmosphere
ISOTOPES—Varieties (flavors) of an element with different numbers of neutrons but the same number of protons in the atomic nucleus
KAZAKHSTAN—Country in Central Asia, formerly part of USSR
KIRGHIZSTAN—Country in Central Asia, formerly part of USSR
KT (KILOTON)—Energy equivalent to 1000 tons of TNT
LEP (LIFE EXTENSION PROGRAM)—Longer lifetime for a U.S. nuclear weapon
LITTLE BOY—Weapon dropped on Hiroshima in 1945
LOP NOR—Nuclear test site of China
LRD (LONG-RANGE DETECTION)—Operated by U.S. Air Force to monitor nuclear testing by other countries
LTBT (LIMITED TEST BAN TREATY)—1963 treaty that banned nuclear tests in the atmosphere, in space, and underwater
MAGNITUDE—A measure of the size of a seismic event
MICROEARTHQUAKES—Earthquakes smaller than magnitude 3
MIRV—Multiple, independently targetable reentry vehicle containing two or more warheads
MT (MEGATON)—Energy equal to 1 million tons of TNT
MW (MOMENT MAGNITUDE)—Very long period of seismic magnitude
NGO—A nongovernmental organization
NIF (NATIONAL IGNITION FACILITY)—Lasers at Livermore used to create fusion
NOVAYA ZEMLYA—Arctic test sites of Soviet Union
NPT (NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION TREATY)—Multilateral treaty on possession and development of nuclear weapons
NTM (NATIONAL TECHNICAL MEANS)—A nation’s monitoring facilities
NTS—Nevada Test Site of the United States
NUCLEAR ARMS CONTROL—Limits or restraints on nuclear weapons and/or their delivery vehicles that are mutually agreed upon between states
NWFZ (NUCLEAR WEAPONS FREE ZONE)—A region agreed by states within it to be nuclear free by treaty
OPPENHEIMER, J. ROBERT—Director of Los Alamos during World War II
PNET (PEACEFUL NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS TREATY)—Prohibition on testing of peaceful nuclear explosions underground larger than 150 kilotons by USSR and United States
PRESS, FRANK—Geophysicist; President Carter’s science adviser; president of the National Academy of Sciences
RADIONUCLIDE MONITORING—Technologies to detect radioactive particulates and noble gases
RICHARDS, PAUL—Seismologist involved with test bans
RICHTER, CHARLES—Seismologist who devised first magnitude scale
ROMNEY, CARL—Seismologist involved with test bans
SALT I AND II (STRATEGIC ARMS LIMITATION TREATIES)—Limitations on intercontinental delivery systems agreed to by United States and USSR
SEABORG, GLEN—Scientist who discovered plutonium; high-level adviser during Kennedy and Johnson administrations
SEISMICITY—Descriptions of locations and sizes of earthquakes and their relationship(s) to geological features
SEISMOLOGY—Study of earthquakes and earth structure
SORT (STRATEGIC OFFENSIVE REDUCTION TREATY)—Follow-on to SALT treaties
START (STRATEGIC ARMS REDUCTION TREATIES)—Follow-on to SALT
STOCKPILE STEWARDSHIP—A program to ensure that nuclear weapons will work in the future without nuclear testing
TECTONICS—Discipline of geology involving processes that control structure, deformation, and properties of Earth, moons, and planets
TELLER, EDWARD—Physicist involved with development of U.S. nuclear weapons
THERMONUCLEAR WEAPON—Sometimes called a hydrogen or fusion bomb; fusion only takes place at temperatures of millions of degrees, requiring triggering by a primary fission explosion
TRIAD—Delivery system consisting of land- and sea-based missiles and aircraft
TTBT (THRESHOLD TEST BAN TREATY)—Prohibition on underground testing of nuclear weapons larger than 150 kilotons agreed to by USSR and United States
USSR—Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
WARHEAD—The nuclear weapon carried by a delivery system
YIELD—Energy released by a nuclear explosion