Nuclear bombs have the capacity to bring grave destruction to areas, but how far can a nuclear explosion cover?
Nuclear Bombs
While nuclear weapons come in different sizes and types, modern bombs begin by prompting a fission reaction. Fissions refer to the splitting of heavy atoms' nuclei into atoms that are lighter. In this process, neutrons are released. The neutrons are capable of careening into nearby atomic nuclei. They may split these nuclei and trigger a chain reaction that cannot be controlled.
As a result, the fission explosion becomes devastating. These fission bombs, or atomic bombs, led to the destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. These had the force of 15 to 20 kilotons of TNT.
While these pose great damage, several other modern weapons can lead to graver damage. Thermonuclear or hydrogen bombs capitalize on the initial fission reaction for fusing atoms of hydrogen with the weapon. This leads to more neutrons getting kicked off, resulting in even more fission. While thermonuclear bombs have undergone testing in the past, they have never been used in combat.
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Radius of a Nuclear Blast
There is no definite way to predict the impact of a nuclear bomb. This is due to how the impact widely depends on various factors, including weather, detonation time, whether a blast happens on air or land, and the hit area's geographical landscape.
Nevertheless, being at an explosion's ground zero would result in immediate death. For example, a nuclear weapon of 10 kilotons, which is equivalent to the ones that hit Nagasaki and Hiroshima, would lead to the deaths of 50% of individuals within a 3.2-kilometer radius of the blast.
These deaths would be due to fires, intense exposure to radiation, or other fatal wounds. Some may experience wounds due to the explosion, while others may get hurt by collapsing structures or flinging shrapnel.
The majority of buildings within a radius of 0.8 kilometers may end up heavily damaged or knocked down.
To add, based on hypothetical predictions, within a 1-megaton bomb's radius of six kilometers, blast waves could result in 180 tonnes of force on the walls of structures with two storeys. This could also lead to winds that fly as fast as 158 mph.
In a one-kilometer radius, the pressure levels peaks by four times this amount. Wind speeds can go as high as 470 mph.
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