Nuclear Cratering Group

The United States Army Corps of Engineers Nuclear Cratering Group (NCG) was an organization within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), located at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, which was involved in research on the potential uses and effects of nuclear devices for large-scale excavation and quarrying. The group's activities were focused on research for practical applications of nuclear devices, some of which were proposed for the Atomic Energy Commission's (AEC) Project Plowshare program for peaceful nuclear explosions. In particular, the NCG was directed to study excavation techniques for a sea-level canal across the Isthmus of Panama.

The Nuclear Cratering Group was established in 1962. It was reorganized as the Explosive Excavation Research Laboratory under the Waterways Experiment Station in 1971.