Knowra Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty is a 1996 international agreement prohibiting all nuclear explosions. Its verification system uses global monitoring stations, but the treaty has not entered into force.
International Monitoring System : A worldwide network of seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound, and radionuclide stations established to detect nuclear explosions. It supplies the treaty’s primary technical evidence for detecting possible nuclear tests.
Partial Test Ban Treaty : A 1963 treaty prohibiting nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater, while allowing underground tests. It was an earlier, narrower effort that left underground testing untouched.
Entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty : The treaty’s activation as binding law, which requires ratification by all 44 states listed in Annex 2. The treaty remains inactive because several required Annex 2 ratifications are outstanding.
Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons : A 2017 treaty that comprehensively prohibits nuclear weapons for its states parties. Unlike this test-focused treaty, it prohibits possession and use as well as testing.
Seismic monitoring : The use of ground-motion measurements to locate and characterize earthquakes and other seismic events. Seismic stations can detect underground explosions and distinguish them from many natural earthquakes.
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty : A 1968 treaty aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and promoting disarmament and peaceful nuclear cooperation. Its disarmament commitments helped sustain pressure for a comprehensive test ban.
Annex 2 states : The 44 states whose ratification is required for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty to enter into force. Their individual ratifications determine whether the treaty can become fully operative.
Limited Test Ban Treaty : The common name for the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty, which bans nuclear tests in three environments but not underground. Its environmental limits contrast with the comprehensive ban on nuclear explosions.
On-site inspection : An authorized investigation of a location to gather evidence about possible treaty noncompliance. The treaty allows inspections to clarify suspicious events after it enters into force.
Conference on Disarmament : A multilateral forum in Geneva where states negotiate arms-control and disarmament agreements. Its negotiations produced the treaty text adopted in 1996.
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