Why does an atomic explosion have the shape of a mushroom? Nuclear mushrooms

It would be better, of course, to never know what a nuclear mushroom is. This radioactive cloud is named 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 of various countries are symbols of fertility and vital energy. A nuclear mushroom, on the contrary, is a symbol of destruction and war.

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

Characteristics

How is it formed and how is this phenomenon characterized? A nuclear mushroom is formed when a dust cloud rises from the surface of the earth. In this case, the air, heated by the explosion to a certain level, tends upward and swirls in a ring-shaped vortex. The whirlwind pulls upward the “leg” of the mushroom, which consists of dust and smoky masses and looks like a column. And on the sides of the formed vortex, the air is already cooled and resembles a very ordinary cloud (steam condensation occurs into water droplets) or a “mushroom cap”. Accompanying the terrestrial mushroom is thus one of the consequences of his work. It is characteristic that when an explosion is carried out on water or in the air, a similar 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? A nuclear mushroom is already a cumulus rain cloud that has grown greatly 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, rains usually fall that can extinguish the fires that arose as a result of the explosion.

Radioactive cloud

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

When is it formed

A nuclear mushroom, 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 the earth's atmosphere, then neither a mushroom nor a cloud will form.

Ominous symbol

In modern literature and art, the nuclear mushroom is identified with an ominous symbol of war, and its image is included in 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 sense. After all, nuclear evil has no future, but only ruins and a past that is remembered by people who survived the disasters.

In recent days, everyone has been discussing whether the third world war will begin between the USA and Russia 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 forgotten the warning signals, and the younger generation knows about the threat only from computer games. Life tells what to do if a nuclear mushroom appears on the horizon.

This is, of course, not the Cuban Missile Crisis, but the degree of paranoia in the air has increased sharply. And although no one promises to turn other countries into “nuclear ashes,” there are still enough reasons. The latest of these is the US threat to launch a missile strike on Syria.

The atomic threat has already been largely erased from people's memory. Hardly anyone will now say what one long beep and two short beeps mean, or will quickly answer where the nearest bomb shelter is located. The 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 a reader of such literature would survive after a real nuclear strike.

First day

The threat of nuclear war was a tempting prospect for me. “Battles with marauders”, “survival in radioactive forests”, “clashes with mutants” - this sounded even cooler than a “zombie apocalypse”. I went online, 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 my grandfather’s cartridges - in the event of an apocalypse, they will become the most valuable resource. In addition, I purchased a pistol through an anonymous browser. In addition, I bought a used car so that after the explosion I could go into the forest.

Valuable tips:

The need to take weapons and ammunition with you is one of the most common myths about the 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, you will have to part with them at the first checkpoint.
Instead of filling your backpack with pasta, take as many medications as possible. You will need antibiotics, insulin, and a variety of wound care products. Please note: you will not be able to obtain truly effective anti-radiation agents in advance. Drinking iodine, as most guides advise, is also not worth it, except for self-soothing.

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. He turned on the car and drove into the forests to survive.

Valuable tips:

You will hardly need transport. And in the forest you definitely won’t be able to 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 glass has survived, then simply post a signal for help and wait. You need to wait about three days - during this time the radioactive background will significantly decrease.
The walls of the house do a good job of weakening radiation contamination. Prepare clothing that is as closed as possible 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 the third world war began. After that, wait for rescuers or the military. Only they really know what needs to be done. It is better not to believe memos that have been floating around the Internet for decades and guides from stalker forums. Only the military has valid manuals, and they are not suitable for civilians.
It’s better not to look at the “mushroom” - you can get a burn to the retina.
Don’t count too much on mobile communications - if the third world war breaks out, you most likely won’t have access to it.

Valuable tips:

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

Valuable tips:

Don't expect your life in a bomb shelter to be filled with dramatic events. Kitchen, toilet, bedroom - this is your route for the next couple of weeks.
The main entertainment is, of course, information from outside. Bomb shelters are equipped (if you're lucky) with communication points.
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 rose to the surface for the first time. Now the adventures should definitely begin: searching for food, hunting, fights with 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. Therefore, it is better to get by with plant foods. But in general, of course, it is wiser not to get food, but to eat exclusively canned food.
It's best to stay with the military as long as possible. The military will assemble buses for emergency evacuation of people. After transferring to the tent camp, you will need to change clothes and undergo disinfection. If the dose of radiation received is too high, you will be sent to hospital. In addition, you need to obtain anti-radiation medications.
If the third world war begins, they will come for you from the military registration and enlistment office. The rest will wait to be transferred to the rear.
In the event of a single explosion, you will be transferred to children's camps and rest homes for temporary accommodation.

nuclear mushroom- a mushroom cloud that appears after a nuclear or thermonuclear explosion, also called a radioactive cloud. So named because of the similarity of the shape to that of the fruiting body of mushrooms. A mushroom cloud is formed in all above-ground nuclear explosions, but this is not a distinctive feature of a nuclear explosion. A mushroom cloud is formed during ordinary explosions of sufficient power, during volcanic eruptions, strong fires and meteorite falls.

Physics of the phenomenon

The formation of a nuclear mushroom is the result of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability that occurs when a dust cloud rises. The air heated by the explosion rises, spins into a ring-shaped vortex and pulls a “leg” - a column of dust and smoke from the surface of the earth. Along the edges of the vortex, the air cools, becoming similar to an ordinary cloud due to the condensation of water vapor.

The “nuclear mushroom” after the end of the ascent is a mushroom-shaped cumulonimbus cloud that is highly developed in height, its top reaches a height of 15-20 km with an explosion power of about 1 megaton. After an explosion of sufficiently high power, heavy rains fall from the cloud, which can extinguish some of the ground fires along the path of the cloud.

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

A nuclear cloud does not form in all types of nuclear explosions. During space, high-altitude, underwater and deep underground (camouflage) nuclear explosions, a mushroom cloud does not form.

Image in culture

Nuclear mushroom on the emblem of the GRU Special Control Service

In modern culture, the nuclear mushroom is the most commonly used symbol of nuclear war.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what “Nuclear mushroom” is in other dictionaries:

English Nevada Test Site ... Wikipedia

The mushroom is a special form of life, the kingdom of living nature. Mushroom is a small river in the Msta delta, Novgorod region. A nuclear mushroom is the result of a nuclear explosion. Grib (surname) Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian surname. Famous... ... Wikipedia

Noun, m., used. compare often Morphology: (no) what? mushroom, what? mushroom, (I see) what? mushroom, what? mushroom, what about? about the mushroom; pl. What? mushrooms, (no) what? mushrooms, what? mushrooms, (I see) what? mushrooms, what? mushrooms, what about? about mushrooms 1. A mushroom is an organism... ... Dmitriev's Explanatory Dictionary

MUSHROOM, huh, husband. 1. A special organism that does not form flowers or seeds and reproduces by spores. Edible g. Poisonous g. Pogany g. (toadstool). Cap, mushroom stem. Bely city. Kingdom of mushrooms (one of the four highest spheres of the organic world; special).... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

- ... Wikipedia

mushroom- A/; m. see also. fungus, mushroom, mushroom 1) a) A special organism that reproduces by spores. Edible mushrooms. Poisonous mushrooms. A nasty mushroom. (= poga/ ... Dictionary of many expressions

- ... Wikipedia

A; m. 1. A special organism that reproduces by spores. Edible mushrooms. Poisonous mushrooms. Nasty city (= toadstool). Cap, mushroom stem. Dried, salted, pickled mushrooms. White city. Red city (= aspen boletus). Rain city (white spherical with... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

High air explosion Questa (Operation Dominic) Atmospheric nuclear explosion nuclear explosion occurring in a fairly dense ... Wikipedia

"I have become death, the destroyer of worlds"
Robert Oppenheimer

Archival footage of nuclear bomb tests

Nuclear explosion- an uncontrolled process of releasing large amounts of thermal and radiant energy as a result of a chain nuclear fission reaction or 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 space, or natural processes on certain 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 civilian populations 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. Humanity has never created a phenomenon of such incredible and terrifying power.”

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

1. Photo Wikicommons

This was the test of the world's first atomic bomb. In an area 1.6 kilometers in diameter, a giant purple-green-orange fireball shot into the sky. The earth shook 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 shocked the military and scientists. 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. Photo US Navy

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

The bomb was placed in a waterproof casing and launched from the LSM-60 ship. 8 target ships were sunk, among them: ships LSM-60, Saratoga, Nagato, Arkansas, submarines Pilotfish, Apogon, dry dock ARDC-13, barge YO-160. Eight more ships were heavily 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 Wikicommons

Explosion of a hydrogen bomb. Castle Bravo was the most powerful explosion test ever conducted by the United States. The power of the explosion turned out to be much greater 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 mushroom reached its maximum size of 20 km in diameter. The Castle Bravo test caused the largest radioactive contamination in the United States and exposed local residents. Test name:Castle Romeo
date: March 26, 1954
Place: on a barge in Bravo Crater, Bikini Atoll
Explosion type: on a surface
Power: 11 megatons.

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

The power of the explosion turned out to be 3 times greater than initial forecasts. Romeo was the first test carried out on a barge. The fact is that such nuclear explosions left large craters in the atoll, and the testing 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 (Able explosion 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: more than 210 kilotons

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

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

10.

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

11. Photo 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”), Enewate Atoll
Power: 10.4 megatons

17. Photo by National Nuclear Security Administration

The device detonated during Mike's test, called 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 all the bombs dropped in World War II. Test name: Grable
date: May 25, 1953
Place: Nevada nuclear test site
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: Nevada nuclear test site

19.

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

20.

As part of a series of tests "Plumbbob" 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 “Little Boy” with a charge mass of 16 kilotons and “Fat Man” with a charge mass of 21 kilotons. It was “Baby” that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and “Fat Man” on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. 17. Name of the test: Umbrella
date: June 8, 1958
Place: Enewetak 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: Enewetak Lagoon in the Pacific Ocean
Power: 8 kilotons

24.

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

25.

Test name: YESO
date: June 10, 1962
Place: Christmas Island
Power: 3 megatons

"I have become death, the destroyer of worlds"
Robert Oppenheimer

Archival footage of nuclear bomb tests

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

1. Photo Wikicommons

2. Photo US Navy

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

3. Photo Wikicommons

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

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 (Able explosion 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: more than 210 kilotons

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

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

10.

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

11. Photo Wikicommons

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”), Enewate Atoll
Power: 10.4 megatons

17. Photo by National Nuclear Security Administration

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: Nevada nuclear test site

19.

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

20.

As part of a series of tests "Plumbbob" in May - October 1957.

21.

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

22.

23.

24.

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

25.

Test name: YESO
date: June 10, 1962
Place: Christmas Island
Power: 3 megatons

27.

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima (left, atomic bomb “Little Boy,” August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (right, atomic bomb “Fat Man,” August 9, 1945) are the only example in the history of mankind of the combat use of nuclear weapons.

28.

The total number of deaths 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: Nevada nuclear test site
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 photographs showing the destruction of a house located 1 km from the explosion. AN602(aka “Tsar Bomba” and “Kuzka’s Mother” - a thermonuclear aerial bomb developed in the USSR in 1954-1961 by a group of nuclear physicists under the leadership of Academician I.V. Kurchatov.

30.

The most powerful explosive device in the history of mankind. According to various sources, it had a power of 57 to 58.6 megatons. Test name Atomic bombings/atomic explosions
Video clips from nuclear tests around the world