The whole country was lighted by a searing light with the intensity many times that of the midday sun. Although no information on the test was released until after the atomic bomb was used as a weapon against Japan, people in New Mexico knew something had happened. The shock broke windows 120 miles away and was felt by many at least 160 miles away. Army officials simply stated that a munitions storage area had accidently exploded. The explosion did not make much of a crater.
Most eyewitnesses decribe the area as more of a small depression instead of a crater.
The heat of the blast did melt the desert sand and turn it into a green glassy substance. It was called Trinitite and can still be seen in the area. At one time Trinitite completely covered the depression made by the explosion. Afterwards the depression was filled and much of hte Trinitite was taken away by the Nuclear Energy Commission. To the west of the monument is a low structure which is protecting an original portion of the crater area.