For what it’s worth::
As others have stated, Johnston Atoll has been used for high altitude nuclear testing since the fifties and, as I understand it, they have had a
couple of nuclear accidents there as well. When I flew through there in 1998 no one was allowed to exit the plane unless that was their destination.
For it to be their destination one had to be employed by one of the government contractors there. In other words, no tourists are allowed. This page
has a rather good article:
www.airfields-freeman.com...
Scroll down to or search for “Johnston Atoll Airport” in the above link.
As to the circular anomaly, I don’t have a clue, but as to the bluish square like areas around the islands, definitely due to dredging. This can be
seen on other islands in the pacific like this one of Kwajalein:
maps.google.com...,+Marshall+Islands&hl=en&ll=8.734265,167.73119&spn=0.057264,0.063429&sll=19.973349,-179.208984&sspn=53.90
4384,58.447266&vp6&hnear=Kwajalein+Atoll&t=h&z=14
[EDIT]
It looks like the link above did not come out as well as I had hoped. The entire thing is:
//maps.google.com/maps?q=Kwajalein+Atoll+Marshall+Islands&hl=en&ll=8.734265,167.73119&spn=0.057264,0.063429&sll=19.973349,-179.208984&sspn=53.90%20438
4,58.447266&vp6&hnear=Kwajalein+Atoll&t=h&z=14
..Place "http:" before the "//" without the quotes.
[END EDIT]
Johnston Atoll was also a jumping off point for Kwajalein island in the Kwajalein Atoll (Marshall Islands) before there was jet service to that area
(Kwaj did not have FAA jet certification until 1968), . This is a very important island for several reasons. During the war in the Pacific,
Kwajalein was the first territory taken from the Japanese by the Americans. Kwajalein was also the staging point for the atomic bomb testing done at
Bikini atoll (which is where the “Bikini” swimsuit got its name), and is about 300 miles north and west of Kwaj. Today the Kwajalein atoll is the
far end of the Pacific missile test range (now known as the “Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site”), with the near end at Vandenberg
AFB, in California. The lagoon which is surrounded by an atoll comprised of some 80 or so islands is the largest one in the world. A great book on
that subject is “Operation Crossroads” · ISBN-10: 1557509190 · ISBN-13: 978-1557509192
Kwajalein and the northern island pair Roi-Namur also figures in one persons account of what happened to Amelia Earhardt. In fact the history of that
whole area is quite interesting.
edit on 22-1-2012 by Dr. X because: Clearify Google link
