Soviet Nuclear Program: Explosions for Economy

The Soviet Union's Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy program involved the detonation of over 239 nuclear devices for practical applications of the new technology. One of these explosions in 1965 near the Chagan River created an artificial lake with a volume of about 10 million cubic meters, which is still slightly radioactive and nicknamed "the atomic lake." Other uses of the program included extinguishing natural gas fires, oil and gas exploration, and creating channels and dams.