Time lapse of all nuclear exlosions from 1945 - 1998
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Time lapse of all nuclear exlosions from 1945 - 1998
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Re: Time lapse of all nuclear exlosions from 1945 - 1998
#2Blogspam, original video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjAqR1zICA0
Re: Time lapse of all nuclear exlosions from 1945 - 1998
#3Estimated world nuclear stockpile: 5000 megatons total yield [1]
Estimated total yield of tests up to 1980: 510 megatons (418 atmospheric) [2]
It's hard to find good numbers on the total yield of all nuclear tests to date, but the ballpark figure is 10% of current stockpiles. This is actually somewhat comforting. We've all heard scary stories saying that we have enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world dozens of times over, but the truth is we've detonated 10% of the total current stockpile in the course of weapon testing with barely any noticeable impact. Yes, it will indeed suck much worse if nuclear bombs ever target populated areas, but the planet will likely recover and live on.
[1] http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/key-issues/nuclear-weapons/...
[2]http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/key-issues/nuclear-weapons/...
Re: Time lapse of all nuclear exlosions from 1945 - 1998
#4Looks like the cold war ended around 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union and no more tests
Re: Time lapse of all nuclear exlosions from 1945 - 1998
#5Note: due to the ratification of the Partial Test Ban treaty in 1963, every test after that year has been conducted underground. (With the notable exception of China, which isn't a signatory, and has detonated a couple nuclear weapons in the atmosphere post-1963.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_Test_Ban_Treaty
EDIT: China.
Re: Time lapse of all nuclear exlosions from 1945 - 1998
#6Note: due to the ratification of the Partial Test Ban treaty in 1963, every test after that year has been conducted underground. (With the notable exception of China, which isn't a signatory, and has detonated a couple nuclear weapons in the atmosphere post-1963.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_Test_Ban_Treaty EDIT: China.
The vast majority, but not all, I don't think?
Wikipedia states that the most recent atmospheric test detonation was carried out by China in 1980, although the reference link appears to be broken:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_weapons_tests#...
Re: Time lapse of all nuclear exlosions from 1945 - 1998
#7Estimated world nuclear stockpile: 5000 megatons total yield [1] Estimated total yield of tests up to 1980: 510 megatons (418 atmospheric) [2] It's hard to find good numbers on the total yield of all nuclear tests to date, but the ballpark figure is 10% of current stockpiles. This is actually somewhat comforting. We've all heard scary stories saying that we have enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world dozens of t…
serious question: does nuclear radiation scale linearly with explosive yield?
That question aside, the destructive power of a explosive does not scale linearly with yield [1]
> This relation arises from the fact that the destructive power of a bomb does not vary linearly with the yield. The volume the weapon's energy spreads into varies as the cube of the distance, but the destroyed area varies at the square of the distance.
The destructive effects of one big 5000-megaton bomb is very different than 10,000 half-megaton bombs. Or even worse, 40,000 125-kiloton bombs.
Re: Time lapse of all nuclear exlosions from 1945 - 1998
#8How about Israel and South African Republic?
Re: Time lapse of all nuclear exlosions from 1945 - 1998
#9Note: due to the ratification of the Partial Test Ban treaty in 1963, every test after that year has been conducted underground. (With the notable exception of China, which isn't a signatory, and has detonated a couple nuclear weapons in the atmosphere post-1963.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_Test_Ban_Treaty EDIT: China.
The vast majority, but not all, I don't think? Wikipedia states that the most recent atmospheric test detonation was carried out by China in 1980, although the reference link appears to be broken: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_weapons_tests#...
This was news to me, but apparently China is not a signatory of the PNTBT.
Re: Time lapse of all nuclear exlosions from 1945 - 1998
#10Fascinating read about this topic:
http://www.amazon.com/Command-Control-Damascus-Accident-Illu...
Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety