It would be better, of course, never to know what a mushroom cloud is. This radioactive cloud is named in this way because of the external resemblance noticed by scientists to the fruiting bodies of ordinary mushrooms that can be found and collected in the forest. But mushrooms in folk art various countries are symbols of fertility and vitality. And the nuclear mushroom, on the contrary, is a symbol of destruction and wars.

However, the mushroom cloud is not only a distinctive feature of nuclear and thermonuclear explosions that have occurred on earth. It is also formed during other, non-nuclear explosions of sufficient power, as well as during eruptions of large volcanoes, during strong fires, or when meteorites fall on the soil. Its height directly depends on the power of the occurred or produced explosion or impact, and on the quality of the filling: the substances used in the process.

Characteristics

How is it formed and what characterizes this phenomenon? A nuclear fungus is formed when a dust cloud rises from the surface of the earth. At the same time, the air, heated by the explosion to a certain extent, tends upward and twists in a ring-shaped vortex. The whirlwind pulls up the "leg" of the mushroom, which consists of dust and smoky masses and looks like a pillar. And on the sides of the formed vortex, the air is already cooling and resembles the most ordinary cloud (steam condenses into water drops) or a “cap” of a mushroom. Accompanying a ground fungus is thus one of the consequences of his work. Characteristically, when an explosion is carried out on water or in air, this phenomenon does not occur.

nuclear explosion mushroom

What happens after the end of the rise of dust and smoke from the surface of the earth? Nuclear fungus is already a cumulus rain cloud, strongly developed in height. It naturally has a mushroom shape (cap and stem). It is known that with a powerful explosion (up to a megaton), it can be up to 20 kilometers in height! From this cloud, if the explosion was of sufficient power, it usually rains, capable of extinguishing the fires that arose as a result of the explosion.

radioactive cloud

It represents greatest danger immediately after the implementation of the explosion, nuclear and thermonuclear, carried out on earth. Particles of radioactive dust containing act as condensates. And the water vapor settles on them, concentrating around in drops. The cloud rises and cools. Water droplets are formed inside, which fall down onto the soil as radioactive rain (variants of snow, hail are possible). Such precipitation, which fell from a radioactive mushroom cloud, can cause significant harm. national economy and pose a threat to all living things.

When is formed

Nuclear fungus, as already mentioned, does not occur in all types of nuclear or thermonuclear explosions. If they were carried out, for example, in outer space, deep underground or under water, as well as in earth's atmosphere, then neither the mushroom nor the cloud is formed.

sinister symbol

IN contemporary literature and art, the nuclear mushroom is identified with an ominous symbol of war, and its image has entered some world paintings as the embodiment of evil and a threat to everything living on planet Earth. In fantastic literary works and films describing the future of the Earth after nuclear wars, this symbol is used by the authors quite often, and always in a negative and ominous way. After all, nuclear evil has no future, but only ruins and the past, which is remembered by people who survived the catastrophes.

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Abstract on the topic:

nuclear mushroom

Formation of a nuclear fungus.

nuclear mushroom- a mushroom cloud that occurs after a nuclear or thermonuclear explosion, also called a radioactive cloud. So named because of the similarity of the shape with the shape of the fruiting body of mushrooms. A mushroom cloud is not a necessary effect of nuclear explosions. They can be formed in ordinary explosions of sufficient power, in volcanic eruptions, large fires and meteorite falls.

Physics of the phenomenon

Mushroom Nuke Altitude (in feet) vs. Energy (TNT)

The formation of a nuclear fungus is the result of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability that occurs during the rise of a dust cloud. The air heated by the explosion rises, twists into an annular vortex and pulls a "leg" behind it - a column of dust and smoke from the surface of the earth. At the edges of the vortex, the air cools, becoming like an ordinary cloud due to the condensation of water vapor.

"Nuclear mushroom" after the end of the ascent is a highly developed cumulonimbus cloud of a mushroom shape, its top reaches a height of 15-20 km with an explosion power of about 1 megaton. After an explosion of a sufficiently large power, heavy rains fall from the cloud, which can extinguish some of the ground fires along the path of the cloud.

A radioactive cloud carries a special danger after a nuclear or thermonuclear explosion, especially a ground explosion. Dust particles containing radioactive substances, attract water vapor and around them, as the cloud rises and cools, water drops quickly form, falling to the ground in the form of radioactive rain, hail, snow, etc. Precipitation of the nuclear mushroom cloud is a source of radioactive contamination and poses a threat to living beings.

In space, high-altitude and deep underground (camouflage) nuclear explosions, a mushroom cloud does not form.

Model showing the formation mechanism of a mushroom cloud (Exploratorium Museum (English) Russian , USA)

Image in culture

Nuclear mushroom on the emblem of the GRU Special Control Service

IN contemporary culture nuclear mushroom is the most commonly used symbol nuclear war.

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This abstract is based on an article from the Russian Wikipedia. Synchronization completed on 07/11/11 16:49:13
Similar abstracts:

"I became death, the destroyer of worlds"
Robert Oppenheimer

Archival footage of the trials nuclear bombs

Nuclear explosion- an uncontrolled process of releasing a large amount of thermal and radiant energy as a result of a nuclear fission chain reaction or a thermonuclear fusion reaction in a very short period of time. By their origin, nuclear explosions are either a product of human activity on Earth and in near-Earth outer space, or natural processes on some types of stars. Artificial nuclear explosions are powerful weapons designed to destroy large ground and protected underground military facilities, concentrations of enemy troops and equipment, as well as the complete suppression and destruction of the opposing side, the destruction of large and small settlements with the civilian population and strategic industry.

General Thomas Farrell: “The effect that the explosion had on me can be called magnificent, amazing and at the same time terrifying. Mankind has never created a phenomenon of such incredible and terrifying power.

Test name: Trinity (Trinity)
date: July 16, 1945
Place: test site in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

1. Photo by Wikicommons

It was the test of the world's first atomic bomb. In a section 1.6 kilometers in diameter, a giant purple-green-orange fireball shot up into the sky. The earth shuddered from the explosion, a white column of smoke rose to the sky and began to gradually expand, taking on a terrifying mushroom shape at an altitude of about 11 kilometers. The first nuclear explosion hit the military and scientific. Robert Oppenheimer remembered the lines from the Indian epic poem Bhagavad Gita: "I will become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Test name: Baker
date: July 24, 1946
Place: Bikini Atoll Lagoon
Explosion type: Underwater, depth 27.5 meters
Power: 23 kilotons.

2. US Navy photo

The purpose of the test was to investigate the effects nuclear weapons to naval vessels and their personnel. 71 ships were turned into floating targets. This was the 5th nuclear test.

The bomb was placed in a waterproof case and launched from the vessel LSM-60. 8 target ships were sunk, among them: ships LSM-60, Saratoga, Nagato, Arkansas, submarines Pilotfish, Apogon, drydock ARDC-13, barge YO-160. Eight more ships were badly damaged. The explosion lifted several million tons of water into the air. Test name: Castle Bravo
date: March 1, 1954
Place: Bikini Atoll
Explosion type: on a surface
Power: 15 megatons.

3. Photo by Wikicommons

Explosion hydrogen bomb. Castle Bravo was the most powerful explosion ever carried out by the United States. The power of the explosion turned out to be much higher than the initial forecasts of 4-6 megatons. The crater from the explosion turned out to be 2 km in diameter and 75 m deep. In 1 minute, the mushroom cloud reached a height of 15 km. 8 minutes after the explosion, the fungus reached its maximum size of 20 km in diameter. The Castle Bravo test caused the largest radioactive contamination of territories and exposure of local residents in the United States. Test name: Castle Romeo
date: March 26, 1954
Place: By barge in Bravo Crater, Bikini Atoll
Explosion type: on a surface
Power: 11 megatons.

4. Photo by US National Nuclear Security Administration | Department of Energy

The power of the explosion turned out to be 3 times more than the initial forecasts. Romeo was the first test made on a barge. The fact is that such nuclear explosions left large funnels in the atoll, and the test program would destroy all the islands. Test name: AZTEC
date: April 27, 1962
Place: Christmas Island
Power: 410 kilotons.

These tests were carried out from 1962 to 1963 in the USA.

6. Photo by National Nuclear Security Administration

Test at the Nevada test site on January 27, 1951 (explosion of Able as part of Operation Ranger). Test name: Chama
date: October 18, 1962
Place: Johnston Island
Power: 1.59 megatons

Part of Project Dominic, a series of nuclear weapons tests consisting of 105 explosions. Test name: Truckee
date: June 9, 1962
Place: Christmas Island
Power: over 210 kilotons

Part of Project Dominic, a series of nuclear weapons tests consisting of 105 explosions. Test name: dog
date: 1951
Place: Nuclear test site in Nevada

Test name: Fizeau
date: September 14, 1957
Power: over 11 kilotons

10.

Test name: Annie
date: March 17, 1953
Place: Nuclear test site in Nevada
Power: 16 kilotons

11. Photo by Wikicommons

As part of Operation Upshot Knothole, a series of 11 nuclear explosions carried out by the United States in 1953. Test name: "Unicorn" (fr. Licorne)
date: July 3, 1970
Place: atoll in French Polynesia
Power: 914 kilotons

12. Photo by Pierre J. | French Army

The largest thermonuclear explosion produced by France.

13. Photo by Pierre J. | French Army

"Unicorn".

14. Photo by Pierre J. | French Army

"Unicorn".

15. Photo by Pierre J. | French Army

"Unicorn". Test name: Oak
date: June 28, 1958
Place
Power: 8.9 megatons

16.

Test name: Mike
date: October 31, 1952
Place: Elugelab Island ("Flora"), Eneweita Atoll
Power: 10.4 megatons

17. Photo by National Nuclear Security Administration

The device detonated in Mike's test, dubbed the "sausage", was the first true megaton-class "hydrogen" bomb. The mushroom cloud reached a height of 41 km with a diameter of 96 km. Mike's power was greater than the power of all the bombs dropped in World War II. Test name: Grable
date: May 25, 1953
Place: Nuclear test site in Nevada
Power: 15 kilotons

18.

Produced as part of Operation Upshot Knothole, a series of 11 nuclear explosions carried out by the United States in 1953. Test name: George
date: 1951
Place: Nuclear test site in Nevada

19.

Test name: Priscilla
date: 1957
Place: Nuclear test site in Nevada
Power: 37 kilotons

20.

As part of the Plumbbob test series in May-October 1957.

21.

Another photo of a nuclear explosion Castle Romeo which we wrote about above.

22.

Copies of the first atomic bombs "Kid" (Little Boy) with a charge mass of 16 kilotons and "Fat Man" with a charge mass of 21 kilotons. It was the “Baby” that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and the “Fat Man” on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. 17. Name of the test: Umbrella
date: June 8, 1958
Place: Eniwetok Lagoon in the Pacific Ocean
Power: 8 kilotons

23.

An underwater nuclear explosion was carried out during Operation Hardtack. Decommissioned ships were used as targets. Test name: Umbrella
date: June 8, 1958
Place: Eniwetok Lagoon in the Pacific Ocean
Power: 8 kilotons

24.

Test name: Seminole
date: June 6, 1956
Place: Eniwetok Lagoon in the Pacific Ocean
Power: 13.7 kilotons

26.

Test name: Rhea
date: June 14, 1971
Place: French polynesia
Power: 1 megaton

27.

Atomic bombings of Hiroshima (left, atomic bomb"Kid", August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (on the right, the atomic bomb "Fat Man", August 9, 1945) is the only example in the history of mankind of the combat use of nuclear weapons.

28.

The total death toll ranged from 90 to 166 thousand people in Hiroshima and from 60 to 80 thousand people in Nagasaki. Test name: Annie
date: March 17, 1953
Place: Nuclear test site in Nevada
Power: 16 kilotons

29.

As part of Operation Upshot Knothole, a series of 11 nuclear explosions carried out by the United States in 1953. A series of images showing the destruction of a house located 1 km from the explosion. AN602(aka “Tsar Bomba” and “Kuzkina Mother” - a thermonuclear aerial bomb developed in the USSR in 1954-1961 by a group of nuclear physicists led by Academician I.V. Kurchatov.
31. Photo from Minatom archive

32.

Location at the Alamogordo, New Mexico test site where the world's first atomic bomb, Trinity, was detonated on July 16, 1945.

*******
Atomic bombings / atomic explosions
Cutting video from nuclear tests around the world

IN last days everyone is just discussing whether the third world war between the USA and Russia will begin or not. In the media and social networks, you constantly come across materials about the coming "nuclear apocalypse", which in turn provokes attacks of fear and hysteria in many. Over the past years, we have already managed to forget the warning signals, and the younger generation knows about the threat only from computer games. Life tells what to do if a mushroom cloud appears on the horizon.

Outside, of course not. Caribbean crisis, but the degree of paranoia in the air rose sharply. And although no one promises to turn other countries into "nuclear ashes", there are still enough reasons. The last of these is the US threat to launch a missile attack on Syria.

The nuclear threat has already been erased from people's memory. It is unlikely that anyone will now name what one long beep and two short ones mean, or quickly answer where the nearest bomb shelter is. A nuclear mushroom on the horizon has become something like a zombie apocalypse - pure fantasy from books about stalkers and the third world war. We imagined how to survive after the present nuclear strike reader of such literature.

First day

The threat of nuclear war was a tempting prospect for me. "Battles with marauders", "survival in radioactive forests", "collisions with mutants" - it sounded even cooler than "zombie apocalypse". I surfed the Web, found out that if something happened, Washington would start bombing cities at six o'clock in the evening, and read what products to take. I went to the dacha and took grandfather's cartridges - in the event of an apocalypse, they will become the most valuable resource. In addition, I bought a gun through an anonymous browser. In addition, I bought a used car so that I could drive into the forest after the explosion.

Valuable Tips:

The need to take weapons and ammunition with you is one of the most common myths about a nuclear apocalypse. Marauders and even more so mutants are nothing more than a figment of the imagination of writers. If you take weapons and ammunition with you, then you will have to part with them at the first checkpoint.
Instead of stuffing your backpack with pasta, pack as much medicine as you can. You will need antibiotics, insulin, and a variety of wound care products. Please note: you will not get really effective anti-radiation agents in advance. Drinking iodine, as most guides advise, is also not worth it, except for complacency.

Second day

A huge nuclear mushroom appeared on the horizon. I admired it from the window of my house, then quickly grabbed my backpack and went down to the garage. I turned on the car and drove into the forests - to survive.

Valuable Tips:

You hardly need transportation. And in the forest you will definitely not hide from the explosion (and subsequent radioactive fallout). If after the explosion you find yourself far from the affected area, then the car, of course, will help. However, a pre-prepared car in the garage of your home is not the most useful thing. In the first hours after the explosion, it is better to sit at home. If the glasses survived, then just hang out a signal for help and wait. You need to wait somewhere for three days - during this time the radioactive background will significantly decrease.
The walls of the house are good at weakening radiation pollution. Prepare the most closed clothing and try to assess the situation. Don't panic. Turn on the TV and try to understand what happened - an explosion at a nuclear power plant, a terrorist attack, or a third World War. After that, wait for the rescuers or the military. Only they really know what to do. Memos that have been roaming the Web for decades, and guides from stalker forums, are best not to believe. Only the military has real manuals, and they are unsuitable for civilians.
It is better not to stare at the "mushroom" - you can earn a retinal burn.
Don't really count on mobile communications - if the third world war starts, then most likely there will be no access to it.

Valuable Tips:

Not all metro stations are suitable. You want deep stations that have sliding doors and good ventilation. Among the deep stations, one can note "Admiralteyskaya" in St. Petersburg and the station "Park Pobedy" in Moscow. The subway can indeed be more useful than the bomb shelter, as it is regularly inspected. But it is also not recommended to sit in the subway for a long time. When the background subsides, try to leave the affected area. At the same time, it is better to move underground - reduce your stay on the surface to a minimum.
Once again: no need to go anywhere or run away. Try to figure out which blast zone you are in.

Valuable Tips:

Don't expect your life in a bomb shelter to be filled with drama. Kitchen, toilet, bedroom - that's your itinerary for the next couple of weeks.
The main entertainment is, of course, information from the outside. Bomb shelters are equipped (if you're lucky) with points of contact.
Despite the nervous situation, it is better not to run around the bomb shelter, so as not to increase the production of carbon dioxide.

Day ten

We went up to the surface for the first time. Now the adventures should definitely begin: searching for food, hunting, fighting marauders.

If you still have to look for food, then do it as far as possible from the affected area. We are talking about 100 kilometers from the epicenter of a nuclear explosion. Forget about hunting cats and dogs - the simpler the food, the less nuclides it contains. So it's better to do plant food. But in general, of course, it is wiser not to get food, but to eat exclusively canned food.
Better to stay with the military as long as possible. The military will collect buses for emergency evacuation of people. After being transferred to the campground, you will need to change clothes and undergo decontamination. If the dose of radiation received is too high, you will be sent to the hospital. In addition, you need to get anti-radiation products.
In the event of the start of a third world war, they will come for you from the military registration and enlistment office. The rest will wait for the transfer to the rear.
In the event of a single explosion, you will be transferred to children's camps and rest homes for temporary accommodation.

Unique archival footage of nuclear bomb tests from all over the planet.
It is terrible to imagine the consequences of this test.
A mushroom cloud that has a column of water instead of a dust leg. On the right, a hole is visible on the pillar: the battleship Arkansas blocked the spray. Test "Baker", charge capacity - 23 kilotons of TNT, July 25, 1946.

The Baker explosion, showing the white surface of the water disturbed by the air shock wave and the top of the hollow column of spray that formed the hemispherical Wilson cloud. In the background is the coast of Bikini Atoll, July 1946.

An aerial view of the mushroom cloud Able rising from the Bikini Atoll lagoon, visible in the background. The cloud carried radioactive contamination into the stratosphere, 23 kilotons, on July 1, 1946.

Operation Greenhouse is the fifth series of American nuclear tests and the second of them in 1951. During the operation, designs of nuclear charges were tested using thermonuclear fusion to increase the energy yield. In addition, the impact of the explosion on structures, including residential buildings, factory buildings and bunkers, was studied. The operation was carried out at the Pacific nuclear test site. All devices were blown up on high metal towers, simulating an air explosion. Explosion of "George", 225 kilotons, May 9, 1951.

The explosion of the American thermonuclear (hydrogen) bomb "Mike" with a capacity of 10.4 megatons. November 1, 1952

AN602 (aka Tsar Bomba, aka Kuzkina Mother) is a thermonuclear aerial bomb developed in the USSR in 1954-1961. a group of nuclear physicists under the leadership of Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR IV Kurchatov. The most powerful explosive device in the history of mankind. According to various sources, it had from 57 to 58.6 megatons of TNT equivalent. The bomb tests took place on October 30, 1961.

One of the most powerful explosions of a thermonuclear hydrogen bomb on the account of the United States was Operation Castle Bravo. The charge power was 10 megatons. The explosion took place on March 1, 1954 in Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands.

Project Dominique is a series of nuclear weapons tests, consisting of 105 explosions. During the Dominic project, the last atmospheric nuclear explosions in the United States were carried out, since on August 5, 1963, an agreement was signed between the USSR, the USA and Great Britain on the prohibition of nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere, outer space and under water. The photo shows the explosion of the Truckee thermonuclear bomb, which was part of the Dominic project. Charge power - 210 kilotons. The date of the explosion is June 9, 1969.

The destruction of a building located at a distance of 1 kilometer from the epicenter of a nuclear explosion, March 17, 1953. The time from the 1st to the last frame is 2.3 seconds. The chamber was placed in a lead sheath 5 centimeters thick to protect it from radiation.

MET explosion carried out as part of Operation Teepot. It is noteworthy that the MET explosion was comparable in power to the Fat Man plutonium bomb dropped on Nagasaki. April 15, 1955, 22 ct.

A 200-meter cloud over Frenchman Flat after the Teapot "MET" explosion on April 15, 1955, 22 kt. This projectile had a rare uranium-233 core.

Characteristics

nuclear explosion mushroom

radioactive cloud

When is formed

sinister symbol

nuclear mushroom

Image in culture

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