How much area can a hydrogen bomb destroy?

How much area can a hydrogen bomb destroy?

Calculations demonstrate that one megaton of fission, typical of a two-megaton H-bomb, will create enough beta radiation to blackout an area 400 kilometres (250 mi) across for five minutes. Careful selection of the burst altitudes and locations can produce an extremely effective radar-blanking effect.

Has a hydrogen bomb ever been used?

A hydrogen bomb has never been used in battle by any country, but experts say it has the power to wipe out entire cities and kill significantly more people than the already powerful atomic bomb, which the U.S. dropped in Japan during World War II, killing tens of thousands of people.

How much hydrogen is used in a hydrogen bomb?

So it takes 327kg of hydrogen to produce 50MT of energy by using a thermonuclear reaction ( Proton-Proton chain). Of that 327kg, only 0.712% or 2.33kg is converted to energy. Note: Thermonuclear weapons use lithium deuteride as the bulk source of hydrogen.

What is the blast radius of a one megaton bomb?

6-km
Within a 6-km (3.7-mile) radius of a 1-megaton bomb, blast waves will produce 180 tonnes of force on the walls of all two-storey buildings, and wind speeds of 255 km/h (158 mph). In a 1-km (0.6-mile) radius, the peak pressure is four times that amount, and wind speeds can reach 756 km/h (470 mph).

What is the blast radius of the strongest nuke?

When the giant bomb finally detonated about 13,000 feet (4 kilometers) over its target, the blast was so powerful that it destroyed everything within a nearly 22-mile (35-kilometer) radius, and generated a mushroom cloud that towered nearly 200,000 feet (60 kilometers).

Which is better a hydrogen bomb or a thermonuclear weapon?

Thermonuclear weapon. A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb ( H bomb ), is a second-generation nuclear weapon design. Its greater sophistication affords it vastly greater destructive power than first-generation atomic bombs, a more compact size, a lower mass or a combination of these benefits.

How much mass does it take to make a hydrogen bomb?

A hydrogen bomb however converts about a kilogram or 2 lbs of mass to pure energy. But in order to convert this much, you have to start with about 140 kilos or 300 lbs. of hydrogen. Only six countries have such bombs —China, France, India, Russia, United Kingdom, and the United States, — and all have conducted hydrogen bomb tests.

How much uranium was used to make the hydrogen bomb?

The total uranium used was 55 lbs. A hydrogen bomb however converts about a kilogram or 2 lbs of mass to pure energy. But in order to convert this much, you have to start with about 140 kilos or 300 lbs. of hydrogen.

How many hydrogen bombs are there in the world?

If a hydrogen bomb was dropped there, heaven forbid, it would not just destroy everything in a one mile radius, It would make into rubble everything in an 8 mile in radius. This would be a total calamity. The world now has over 10,000 such bombs, capable of easily destroying every single person on our planet, many times over.