Can a nuke be set off by an explosion?

Although no accidental nuclear explosion has ever occurred, nuclear weapons, like conventional shells, bombs and rockets, pose accident hazards. But weapons designers say the risks are small. The shock wave created by the conventional explosion squeezes the plutonium enough to initiate a chain fission reaction.

How big of a tsunami would a nuke make?

The tests revealed that a single explosion would not produce a tsunami, but concluded that a line of 2,000,000 kg (4,400,000 lb) of explosives about 8 km (5.0 mi) off the coast could create a destructive wave.

Would a nuke set off Yellowstone?

Some conspiracy theorists have claimed a Yellowstone eruption could be triggered by a nuclear bomb, but is this the case? The short answer, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), is a resounding no.

What if a nuke explodes in space?

If a nuclear weapon is exploded in a vacuum-i. e., in space-the complexion of weapon effects changes drastically: First, in the absence of an atmosphere, blast disappears completely. There is no longer any air for the blast wave to heat and much higher frequency radiation is emitted from the weapon itself.

What would happen if a nuke hit a supervolcano?

In a nuclear attack, the detonation would occur above ground, so the majority of the energy would be released into the air. So in conclusion, nothing would happen and Yellowstone would not erupt if for some reason a nuclear bomb was detonated near the supervolcano.

What happens if you drop a nuclear bomb in a volcano?

The explosion of the bomb mixed with the build-up of pressure inside a volcano could amplify the eruption. The force would release even more ash and lava, spreading it even further than it would’ve gone with the volcano’s own power. And that’s if we managed to hit the target.

Can an earthquake be caused by a nuclear explosion?

A nuclear explosion can cause an earthquake and even an aftershock sequence. However, earthquakes induced by explosions have been much smaller than the explosion, and the aftershock sequence produces fewer and smaller aftershocks than a similar size earthquake.

Can underground detonations of nuclear weapons be detected like earthquakes?

Underground detonations of nuclear weapons can be detected like earthquakes for a simple physical reason. In both cases – either when rocks rupture in a quake or during the explosion – very strong forces rapidly act inside the Earth.

Can a chemical bomb set off a nuclear explosion?

The detonations mimicked underground nuclear explosions, but the researchers used chemical explosives such as nitromethane rather than fission- or fusion-based bombs. “We obviously can’t and don’t want to set off a nuclear explosion,” said Abbott, who is the science lead at Sandia National Laboratories for the Source Physics Experiment.

Could Nevada Test Site nuclear explosions trigger earthquakes in California?

The possibility of large Nevada Test Site nuclear explosions triggering damaging earthquakes in California was publicly raised in 1969.