The atomic bomb is arguably the deadliest creation of mankind; it has the power to destroy humanity like no other instrument of mass destruction. Even though it has been used only twice as a weapon against an enemy nation, the resultant consequences have left such an indelible mark on the human psyche, that any sane nuclear-capable nation will not think about using it again. Sadly though, we cannot say the same about rogue nations.
While we surely hope that the atomic bomb would never be used again, a website has posted a nifty tool to help anyone simulate a nuclear explosion and estimate the damage that such a weapon can unleash at any point on this planet. It gives an insight into the level of devastation that can be caused, by allowing you choose the kiloton yield of the bomb and the location using Google Maps on which you want to simulate a ground zero. Alternatively, you can choose from a list of the most important cities in the world or locations of historic detonations and also choose bomb presets based on actual known atomic weapons produced thus far. It is even possible to select multiple destinations to simulate coordinated simultaneous attacks.
Once you select the location and bomb yield, and press the Detonate button, the damage results are displayed in the form of five circular overlays on the map with different colours, each colour signifying a certain level of damage. This includes the smallest circle, which is the actual fireball at ground zero, to the maximum radiation radius, which results in third-degree burns and very high mortality. It must be noted that this does not take into account the after-effects of radiations that can spread to other areas and the radiation-related genetic abnormalities that are carried down across generations of affected human beings who manage to survive.
It is more horrifying than interesting to note that the power of nuclear weapons have grown manifold since the Manhattan Project. The 16 kiloton Little Boy dropped on Hiroshima had a diameter of 3.6 km with total fatality, which is just about the size of a typical suburb. In contrast, a 10.4 megaton day thermonuclear weapon such as the Ivy Mike has a 31.2 km diameter of total fatality, which can easily encompass an entire metropolis. With these details, you can also estimate the damage caused by the largest known atomic weapons of countries such as India, Pakistan, North Korea, or China. There is even a preset value for a 100 ton "dirty bomb" that can supposedly be prepared by terrorists.
The fact that this website has already recorded over 1.7 million (and counting) simulated explosions points at the widespread interest such an analytical portal can generate. However, the real message of the site is how nuclear weapons have the potential to quickly wipe off all life, and how it is therefore necessary to generate a general consensus about global nuclear disarmament. We can only hope that this message gets across to the right people and that this site does not turn into just another video game.
While we surely hope that the atomic bomb would never be used again, a website has posted a nifty tool to help anyone simulate a nuclear explosion and estimate the damage that such a weapon can unleash at any point on this planet. It gives an insight into the level of devastation that can be caused, by allowing you choose the kiloton yield of the bomb and the location using Google Maps on which you want to simulate a ground zero. Alternatively, you can choose from a list of the most important cities in the world or locations of historic detonations and also choose bomb presets based on actual known atomic weapons produced thus far. It is even possible to select multiple destinations to simulate coordinated simultaneous attacks.
Once you select the location and bomb yield, and press the Detonate button, the damage results are displayed in the form of five circular overlays on the map with different colours, each colour signifying a certain level of damage. This includes the smallest circle, which is the actual fireball at ground zero, to the maximum radiation radius, which results in third-degree burns and very high mortality. It must be noted that this does not take into account the after-effects of radiations that can spread to other areas and the radiation-related genetic abnormalities that are carried down across generations of affected human beings who manage to survive.It is more horrifying than interesting to note that the power of nuclear weapons have grown manifold since the Manhattan Project. The 16 kiloton Little Boy dropped on Hiroshima had a diameter of 3.6 km with total fatality, which is just about the size of a typical suburb. In contrast, a 10.4 megaton day thermonuclear weapon such as the Ivy Mike has a 31.2 km diameter of total fatality, which can easily encompass an entire metropolis. With these details, you can also estimate the damage caused by the largest known atomic weapons of countries such as India, Pakistan, North Korea, or China. There is even a preset value for a 100 ton "dirty bomb" that can supposedly be prepared by terrorists.
The fact that this website has already recorded over 1.7 million (and counting) simulated explosions points at the widespread interest such an analytical portal can generate. However, the real message of the site is how nuclear weapons have the potential to quickly wipe off all life, and how it is therefore necessary to generate a general consensus about global nuclear disarmament. We can only hope that this message gets across to the right people and that this site does not turn into just another video game.
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