Images from Google Earth around Area 51 could be the aftermath of a chilling period of the area’s history

When it comes to Area 51 there are a number of different theories, but one may show something fascinating and terrifying about the site’s history.

Area 51 has become known for its high security and the haze of mystery and conspiracy which surrounds it.

The theories range from the strange to the literally out of this world, with some believing the site houses crashed aliens.

One definite use of the site was as a US Air Force test base. This was where many of the experimental aircraft the US developed during the Cold War started their lives.

That would certainly explain the level of secrecy, not to mention why the surrounding area has such a high prevalence of alleged UFO sightings.

But there was one other thing that the sparse and arid desert was used for in the Cold War. This was developing the invention which has forever altered human history, and may even bring about its end.

A nuclear test in Nevada on July 14, 1962. (Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images)

That is, of course, the development of nuclear weapons.

The images posted to Reddit from Google Earth show a series of large craters in the landscape.

Some investigation revealed that these were consistent with the explosive power of nuclear warheads which were tested in the area during the Cold War.

That period saw the increasing proliferation of nuclear weapons, with governments developing more and more powerful weapons. This meant that explosions were carried out, with some even having small ‘nuke towns’ built nearby.

One Redditor posted their findings to the social media platform, claiming: “On Google Earth Pro (free desktop app) you can find out what bomb caused each crater.

“This is the largest crater I could find, measuring 0.23 miles across. It was from the US nuke Hermosa and was detonated on APR 2 1985 at 20:00:00.09 GMT. It was a 150 kiloton nuke.”

What do you think it is? (Reddit/Rip-kid)

For context, the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945 and instantly killed at least 70,000 people, nearly 20 percent of the entire population, was estimated to be around 15 kilotons.

The current largest warhead in the US arsenal is the B83, with a yield of up to 1.2 megatons.

As for the ‘nuketown’, no this is not the small multiplayer map from Call of Duty: Black Ops, but there may have been nuclear test sites like it there.

These consisted of faux buildings which were constructed to observe the effect of nuclear weapons on US towns, just in case there was any doubt about it.

They could provide insight as to the destructive capacity at different distances from the explosion, for example.

But some were not convinced, with one joking: “Dude, those are UFO crash sites.”

While another said: “Nukes? Pfft. Obviously a Sarlacc Pit.”