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Two additional images of this test area are available from Cable News Network coverage, and the BARC Newsletter (No. 172, May 1998). These images provide a more coherent overview of this test site than those released by the Government of India. These images provide a broader perspective on this area which provides clear correlation with the pre-shot satellite imagery. These two photographs disclose that the small subsidence crater from the test was centered on a long shed [#1], and that a pair of parallel sheds {#2 & #3] ran at right angles to this shed. A fourth shed [#4] can be seen in the background.
A consistent identification feature in the Government of India photographs is the dark box with the bright top that appears in the lower right corner of most of the images. The test area is littered with extensive debris, probably associated with above-ground diagnostics which might be anticipated in conjunction with the test of an experimental nuclear device.
Unlike the 1974 test, India has not released ground-truth photos of the Shakti-1 test that would readily facilitate precise estimation of the size of the subsidence crater. The overall scale of the crater may be approximated by considering the photograph that apparently depicts perhaps half a dozen individuals standing on the lip of the crater. If these individuals are assumed to be 1.66 meters tall, it would appear that the subsidence crater has a depth of about 10 to 15 meters, and a radius of at least 30 meters and probably over 40 meters. While the depth is generally consistent with that of the 1974 crater, the apparent radius of the subsidence area is rather smaller. However, in the absence of a comprehensive overview photograph of the entire crater, it is not possible to determine whether the released photographs encompass the complete extent of a highly asymmetric crater, or only a portion of a rather larger and more symmetric subsidence feature.
A general view shows the carter [sic] at Shakti-1 of underground nuclear explosion test conducted on May 11, 1998 at Pokhran in Rajasthan.
A view of the recent nuclear test sites at Pokhran in Rajasthan.
Photo of the site of Nuclear tests by India during May 11-13, 1998 in the Phokhran range
A general view shows the carter at Shakti-1 of underground nuclear explosion test conducted on May 11, 1998 at Pokhran in Rajasthan.
A general view shows the crater at Shakti-1 of underground nuclear explosion test conducted on May 11, 1998 at Pokhran in Rajasthan.
A general view shows the crater at Shakti-1 of underground nuclear explosion test conducted on May 11, 1998 at Pokhran in Rajasthan.
A general view shows the crater at Shakti-1 of underground nuclear explosion test conducted on May 11, 1998 at Pokhran in Rajasthan.
A general view shows the crater at Shakti-1 of underground nuclear explosion test conducted on May 11, 1998 at Pokhran in Rajasthan.
A View of one of the sites of underground nuclear explosion tests conducted on May 11 & 13, 1998 at Pokhran in Rajasthan.