Well well, a lot of history to this place, briefly though:
THE EARLY HISTORY
The Excelsior mine sett at one time embraced much of the Kit Hill area, just over a mile N. E. of Callington in Cornwall, but the name later came to be more closely associated with the Excelsior Tunnel, sometimes known at Kit Hill Tunnel
In 1959 the Excelsior Tunnel was to take on a more sinister role. In the mid 1950's the 'cold war' between the Western powers and the Soviet Union was at its height but both sides were looking for a limitation to the bitter nuclear arms race. Negotiations on a test ban treaty started in 1958. As part of this treaty it was necessary to ensure that neither side was able to carry out secret undetected tests.
A team of geophysicists at the UK Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (AWRE) at Foulness was asked if a simple test could be carried out quickly. A small experiment was set up with two charges of explosives in a 20 feet deep bore hole in a bed of clay. The first 65 lb charge formed a large hole, and the second 2 lb charge suspended in the hole was 'decoupled' according to the Latter theory.
More info can be had here:
http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/e/excelsior_tunnel/index.shtml
THE EARLY HISTORY
The Excelsior mine sett at one time embraced much of the Kit Hill area, just over a mile N. E. of Callington in Cornwall, but the name later came to be more closely associated with the Excelsior Tunnel, sometimes known at Kit Hill Tunnel
In 1959 the Excelsior Tunnel was to take on a more sinister role. In the mid 1950's the 'cold war' between the Western powers and the Soviet Union was at its height but both sides were looking for a limitation to the bitter nuclear arms race. Negotiations on a test ban treaty started in 1958. As part of this treaty it was necessary to ensure that neither side was able to carry out secret undetected tests.
A team of geophysicists at the UK Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (AWRE) at Foulness was asked if a simple test could be carried out quickly. A small experiment was set up with two charges of explosives in a 20 feet deep bore hole in a bed of clay. The first 65 lb charge formed a large hole, and the second 2 lb charge suspended in the hole was 'decoupled' according to the Latter theory.
More info can be had here:
http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/e/excelsior_tunnel/index.shtml
