A Time-Lapse Map of Every Nuclear Explosion Since 1945

phucheneh

Diamond Member
Jun 30, 2012
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Well then. That started a little slow then got interesting.

We sure nuked the shit out of our own country. And I thought it was a bit amusing when amidst all the Russian and American tests, England decided they might as well nuke Australia a little bit.
 

RPD

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2009
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Every time I see that, I ask wtf did we learn from blowing up 1000 of those, most on our own soil, vs. say I dunno a couple hundred tops?
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
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Every time I see that, I ask wtf did we learn from blowing up 1000 of those, most on our own soil, vs. say I dunno a couple hundred tops?

We learned how to make them more effective.

Scary isn't it?
 

DAGTA

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
8,172
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I wonder what unknown effects there may be from detonating over 2000 nuclear explosions over 50 years on Earth.
 

andylawcc

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
18,183
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i don't know if it is comparable: why concern about Fukushima's radiation, when i am in LA and exposed to repeated nuclear explosions less than 500 miles away. (okay, testing after 1963 are all done underground according to Wiki)
 
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PowerEngineer

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2001
3,607
787
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Thanks for posting this, OP. Hadn't seen it before.

Surprised at how many nuclear tests were staged -- particularly by the French!
 

phucheneh

Diamond Member
Jun 30, 2012
7,306
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i don't know if it is comparable: why concern about Fukushima's radiation, when i am in LA and exposed to repeated nuclear explosions less than 500 miles away. (okay, testing after 1963 are all done underground according to Wiki)

There have been plenty of above-ground detonations, though.

But controlled nuclear reactions and nuclear bombs don't quite act the same. IIRC the immediate, uncontrolled nature of the latter results in different isotopes being produced.

The fission products from the small controlled reactions in a nuclear plant are actually a lot more dangerous than those from a bomb. I would assume the brief, intense heat of a weapon basically has an easier time consuming more of the 'bad stuff.' I mean, it's all 'bad,' but there are huge differences in the half-lives of the wide variety of shit that can be produced.

I'm sure a nuke-u-lar engineer or someone who otherwise actually knows the topic worth a shit can explain it a lot more accurately. But I think you can boil it down to a controlled reaction gone rogue being a hell of a lot less predictable.
 

ImpulsE69

Lifer
Jan 8, 2010
14,946
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So...I get the US ones in the desert..but what are those couple over in the Alabama area? And I also find it funny if you look at the US seas ones, they are all the way over by Austrailia. Now we know why they all like the top 10 poisonous everything.
 

Olikan

Platinum Member
Sep 23, 2011
2,023
275
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So...I get the US ones in the desert..but what are those couple over in the Alabama area? And I also find it funny if you look at the US seas ones, they are all the way over by Austrailia. Now we know why they all like the top 10 poisonous everything.

well, this explains everything :D
 

MentalIlness

Platinum Member
Nov 22, 2009
2,383
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There were over 60 tests in 1976. The year I was born. Around 55 in 1994, the year I graduated. And had no clue.

Were any of these tests on the news or anything ?
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
73,077
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Every time I see that, I ask wtf did we learn from blowing up 1000 of those, most on our own soil, vs. say I dunno a couple hundred tops?
Big money for weapons contractors and you were just nobody in physics if you didn't have your own bomb test.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
73,077
34,366
136
I've been to a lot of military test ranges out in Nevada/Arizona. Didn't realize how many nukes were being detonated out there. Next time I'll request a radiation badge before I go :eek:
The vast majority of the domestic tests were at the Nevada Test Site and most were underground.
 

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
53,011
47,072
136
So...I get the US ones in the desert..but what are those couple over in the Alabama area? And I also find it funny if you look at the US seas ones, they are all the way over by Austrailia. Now we know why they all like the top 10 poisonous everything.

Testing inside salt domes circumvented the Partial Test Ban Treaty.
 

jagec

Lifer
Apr 30, 2004
24,442
6
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I'm sure a nuke-u-lar engineer or someone who otherwise actually knows the topic worth a shit can explain it a lot more accurately. But I think you can boil it down to a controlled reaction gone rogue being a hell of a lot less predictable.

Once we invented the hydrogen bomb, nuclear tests got a hell of a lot "cleaner". The cleanest (per megaton) nuclear device was also the biggest...the Tsar Bomba, set off by the Russians.

Didn't realize how many times the British had nuked the US. Isn't that an act of war? :p


Good god, how is the southwest not a desolate nuclear wasteland?

It was already a desolate wasteland well before we invented the nuke.