This is a summarized report on observations and investigations made in Japan up to the present time concerning the geophysical effects associated with the highaltitude nuclear explosions carried out over Johnston Island on August 1 and 12, 1958.
The effects under consideration are on the distubances of the geomagnetism, VLF atmospherics, field strength of the HF waves, the ionosphere, and acoustic and seismic waves.
As the result of investigations of the associated phenomena, the mechanism of generation of each phenomenon seems to be very complicated and associated with each other. However, in view of the time that elapsed after the blast, there seem to exist three distinct periods. The typical examples are the two stages of the magnetic disturbance—SSC and the main phase—and the ionospheric disturbance which appeared several hours later and lasted more than ten hours. They will belong to the first, second and third periods respectively.
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