What is the radius of a nuclear blast? how would it affect the UK? ?

Question

i live near newcastle is it likely i would be affected by a blast directly?

what would happen?

Answer 1

well...it would depend on the magnatude of the nuke...

....common magnatude nukes have a "kill" or "blast" radius of circa 3 miles.....that means all people in 3 miles or so will die.......and many can have fallout up to 10 miles....

.....problem is we are talking about a regular strength nuke...

.....weaker nukes have a smaller kill radius and a much smaller fallout radius....

......LARGE NUKES CAN HAVE A LARGER BLAST RADIUS WITH A MUCH LARGER FALLOUT RADIUS......

....it is quite possible to design, and build a nuclear device capable of "wiping out" most of england....problem is that for a nuke to have a blast radius of 100 miles - its fallout radius would be over 3000 miles - and with atmospheric currents this could be a larger area...

....but be thankfull that you need 80% pure (+) uranium^238 to construct a nuclear warhead (to do this you would need to process over 8 tonnes of elemental uranium to get it at this purity to construct a regular bomb and over 100 tonnes to construct a nuclear bomb with the magnitude described above) - we are running out of this very precious mineral....

......so rest assured.....its "unlikely" you will get nuked

Answer 2

one nuclear blast would NOT take out most of the UK

Answer 3

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/sfeatu...

The likelihood of a nuclear war is very small, despite the sabre rattling of Russian Generals. The Russian Federation may have a significant nuclear arsenal, but the USSR Hegemony is vastly smaller, in terms of population centres and military hideouts these days. That means they have to be much more aware of the consequences.

Most of their major delivery systems are old technology and vulnerable.

The MAD philosophy remains as valid today as it did, when I was engaged in Nuclear Defence in the Cold War days. Ground attacks on Europe (Georgia notwithstanding) would fail in the first 50-100 miles of penetration. NATO ground attack capabilities would decimate their armour within hours.

The classic Russian attack tactics would leave their supply lines vulnerable before they got out of Russia.

Nuclear attack is a measure of last resort.

Nuclear strikes would concentrate on primary military targets in the first place. The destruction of major population centres would mean the destruction of their own major cities, with all the attached problems. The nearest major military targets to Newcastle would be attacked by relatively low yield tactical devices. Since the most sensitive military hardware is contained in "hardened shelters" and bunkers, the use of ground strikes, as opposed to air strikes would be the order of the day.

Our nuclear deterrent would already be deployed, with sufficient weaponry to make a nuclear war a very SILLY option.

If you are still frightened, go dig yourself a 6ft pit in your back garden and make a WWII style shelter. It WILL protect you from blast effects at 800m from a megaton air blast........... a pity about the radiation....... but you can't have everything, I suppose.........

Answer 4

Depends on how large the explosion is. Nuclear power plant meltdown or nuclear weaponry? Either way, the largest nuclear explosions won't take out a significant portion of the UK. Most of their damage is done by destroying a major industrial city, limiting the countries production power. This is why the US bombed Nagasaki and Hiroshima as opposed to Tokyo.

Answer 5

Basically a nuclear blast hits like the ripples of water on a pond,

Depending on where you live, and how massive the bomb was.

The initial blast is the 'core' or epicentre... this will kill you in an instant, then as the air from the blast, rises upwards, this forms a mushroom effect, which folds back in on itself and returns back to earth causing heat and black ash to fall back to earth,  smothering, and suffocating your lungs.

The cloud of ash then spreads outwards, and as it does the winds grow stronger carrying radiation with it, destroying most in it's path.

Only on the far outskirts do people survive, radiation sickness, burns, etc, will be common, and of course the sun will be blocked from view, and the sky darkened. With no water or adequate medical support or provision, high radiation levels and no shelter, the human race will have to defend itself, until we could re-establish order, if that was at all possible.

We may if we're lucky get help from the USA if of course they're still with us.. if not bye bye Blackpool, no more 3 mile sands, promenade !!  and Newky (Nuclear) Browns...

Nice ....

Caramac x

Answer 6

Depends on how big the hypothetical bomb is and where it gets dropped. There are small ones which can target small areas.

Answer 7

i live in cumbria near one and if it went up so would most of the uk

Answer 8

The dammage will depend upon the power of  the explossive device,type of Bomb(Atomic,hdrogen,nutron),at what height it was deployed and many other facotrs.Other than instant death,large area will be contaminted by radiation and will not be suitable for life for many years!