1961 Map of Busted Butte

About this map

Yucca Mountain dominates this high-desert landscape within the Nevada Test Site and the Nellis Air Force Range, an area defined by federal atomic and military operations. Published by the Geological Survey in cooperation with the Atomic Energy Commission, the map details a landscape of strategic isolation and topographical extremes. To the east, the wide expanse of Jackass Flats transitions into the drainage systems of Fortymile Wash and Yucca Wash, which carve through the arid terrain. The map's namesake, Busted Butte, stands as a prominent landmark south of Fortymile Canyon. Surveyors documented several Vertical Angle Bench Marks (VABM) across the ridges, including VABM Fran 4110 and VABM Alice 4047, alongside a network of Jeep Trails that provided the only ground access to these restricted basins during the Cold War era.