In Ekker and Reggane French nuclear test sites

The four 'Gerboise' atmospheric tests took place between 13 February 1960 and 25 April 1961 in the desert about 50 km south of the Reggane oasis: three on towers and one at the surface. The thirteen underground tests, named after gemstones, were carried out between 7 November 1961 and 1966 in tunnels dug into the granite massif of Taourirt Tan Afella at In Ekker, with a total yield of about 270 kt.

Nine tests were fully contained; two (Rubis and Jade) released iodine and gases from the tunnels; two (Béryl and Améthyste) were only partially contained. On 1 May 1962, in the Béryl test, the closure of tunnel E2 did not work as planned: a fraction of the order of 5–10% of the activity escaped as lava, aerosols and gases, forming three lava streams (the largest about 600 m³ and 150 m long). About 30 km away, at Adrar Tikertine, five 'Pollen' experiments dispersed plutonium with pyrotechnic charges to simulate an accident; after each one the most contaminated area was covered with asphalt.

At Algeria's request, in late 1999 an IAEA mission measured dose rates at 76 locations and collected 25 samples. It found significant residual activity in two places: the ground zeros of Gerboise Blanche and Gerboise Bleue, and the lava in front of the E2 tunnel, where caesium-137 reached 2 MBq/kg. The 1960s fence had deteriorated and the local authorities were building a larger one around the mountain.