UCRL-ID-12477 Use of Nuclear Explosives for Excavation of Sea-Level Canal Across the Negev Desert (Canal Studies Filefolder) H.D. MacCabee DISCLAIMER This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their emplcyces, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Referenct herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, rtcommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. This is an informal report intended primarily for internal or limited extemal distribution. The opinions and conclusions stated are those of the author and may or may not be those of the Laboratory. Work ~~.~rformed under the auspices of the U.S.Department of Energy by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract W-7405-ENG-48. fzi :\ & s. t- p% rq; ;!ki -_ - k.j., % ~~~ E DEC 3 0 f9 * ~~, > &(i
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FROM: SUBJECT: H. D. EcIaccabee gzq The U s e of &clear / Explosives for the Ekcavation of a Sea-Level - C a n a l across tke Mesv Iksert in Israel, connecting the Bkditgrranean with the Gulf of Aqaba IlJTRoLuclllOiy DECLASSIFICATION STAMP ON REVERSE Asother i n t e r e s t i n g application of nuclear excavation would be a e a - 10 ~ l e 1 s0%across ~oraei,ccnnecting t b mditerranean with the Gulf of A q a b (and thus the Red &a and the Indian Ocean). Such a canal would be a strategically valuable alternate to the present Suez Canal and mad probably contribu%ep a t l y to the ecosonilc development of the surrounding area. l e v e l e- The difference i n elevation between sea level and the b a d Sea (30 m i k e a m and 328 feet below sea level) m3e;h.t a l s o be used to generate hydro-electric polar *!&e mimlrm depth of excavation to be encountered I s on the order of 1500 f e e t. Conventfonel aethods of excavation of this ma@xitude are prohibitively expensive, if indeed possible, but it appears *at nuclear expusives c a d be profitably a p p l i e d t o this situation. em& ROUTE one possible route for such a canal across the Negev desert has been sketched out in Pigure' 1. The mute exbends northward f r o m E i l a t on a bear%% of 5O for 83 miles, then t u r n s westward on a bearing of 295' for 20 miles to pass between two muntazn, then turns northward again on a bearing of 3 4 8 O for!% mfles, to the &diterranean, passing by Beersheba and the Gaze Strip. Approximately 130 miles of the 10 mile length of the mute are in vfr'tually unpopulated desex% wasteland, and are thus amenable to nuclear excava- tfon methods. Conventional methods could be used in the vicinity of the populated Eeeraheba, ax& the coastal plain near Gam) for an aggregate distance los these areas will also be the least difficult to excavate, 2 ~ s -- rly close t o sea level.
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tion t o costs of f 1300 feet (using 2- devices burred at a depth of 1300 feet) i n order t o g e t a channel width of 1 1000 feet in rock. Assuning a hole d r i l l i n g cost of $200 per foot for 1300 foot holes, aad ' a shot cost of @5O,OOO, we are led to a total single shot cost of $ 0.5 x 10 and at s spacing of t"0ur shots per nile, a cost of $ 2 x 10 per mile. * Bus; Nuclear shot cost: conventfonal Excavaticn:, I 1% miles x $2 x 100/mi = $20 x 10 30 miles IS $3 x Gng4=flag, 10/a= Auxiliary Construction and Weej Program IS$ A~ouancefor Contfngencies $ 90 x 10 = $150 x 10-75 x - 75 x p, p P r o ~ t etotal cost 10 10 i CONCLU10N The results of t h i s crude preliminary investigation indicate that a sea level canal across Israel appears t o be within the range of technologfcal feasibility, It is pore difficult to judge Its economic feasibility, but some i n f o m t i o n may be @ned by notingthat the Suez Canal C0nq)any w88 offered $80 x 10 as compensation when Egypt nationalized the Suez Caaal, and thie figure i s probably o n l y a percentage of its real value. Another problem which has not been considered is that of political. feasibility, as it Os l i k e l y that the Arab countries surrounding Xsaael wuld object s t r o w to the construction of such a canal. 'See m o l e 3.2 p. 3-14 of the Panama Canal Report by G r a v e s et. al.