"Nuclear detonation data were accumulated, studied, and evaluated by the Bureau of Mines to visualize how nuclear explosives might be used in a shale-oil industry. The evaluation shows that the Green River Formation at the semi-isolated locale of Piceance Creek Basin, in northwestern Colorado, is and thick and widespread enough to warrant consideration of nuclear mining in lieu of conventional methods. Because cost data for nuclear explosions are limited, cost comparisons are made largely by assumptions. Also described are the history of the shale-oil industry, the geology and size of oil-shale resources, and conventional mining methods and processing technology."