Largest Underground Nuclear Testing Project Cannikin 5 Megatons

This video reviews Project CANNIKIN, a nuclear test conducted on Amchitka Island, Alaska, at11:00 a.m., Bering Standard Time, on November 6, 1971. CANNIKIN, a slightly less-than-fivemegaton device, was the largest underground nuclear test conducted in the United States.
CANNIKIN was conducted to proof test a warhead for the Spartan missile, a Safeguard Ballistic Missile Defense Program.
The video shows the nuclear device and instrumentation canister being lowered into the shaft,detonation sequences, and test effects. A long-range view of water turbulence after the detonation is shown, but no tsunami or large ocean wave was observed or recorded. Numerous ground shock
waves are shown at normal speed and as seen by high-speed, slow-motion cameras located at various sites on the island. Surface effects at ground zero and other island locations were filmed one day after the test. Approximately 38 hours after the test, a subsidence crater, approximately 1.5
miles in diameter and 55 feet deep, began to form. Many scenes in the video have no sound intentionally; no material was deleted.

[@maxpower78-15]

Ah yes. I once blew a green peace activists mind when i told him this detonation was the motivating factor for the foundation of his organization

[@oldstudbuck3583]

“Green Peace” an oxymoron if there ever was one. Bunch of purple haired, pimple faced unemployed maggots. Thank God for President Trump.

[@connerstines1578]

@@oldstudbuck3583 They're just like most environmentalist groups, they endorse underachievement in the course of environmental protection, advocating government bureaucracy as a solution. The real solution to environmental destruction: human extinction. I guess you can't fault them for not accepting the blunt truth when it's not nice and fluffy.

[@Youre_Right]

conner stines how many times has the planet had mass extinction events? It’s quite a few. Guess how many were because of man. It’s zero. Humans are hardly as impactful on the environment and climate as they like to think they are.

[@connerstines1578]

@@Youre_Right I don't really sympathize with the climate change doomsday crowd, even if their theories are reality, they advocate solutions to capitalism(because most are socialists) not climate change. The climate doomsday part is there to scare you into accepting a packaged agenda. The solution is right in front of us, end the human race and the planet heals and thrives. I'm not advocating, just speaking the cold truth.

[@connerstines1578]

Of course the other option is like a 99.7% global population reduction, we could persist our current way of living with minimal impact. Most of the environmental impact stems from the sheer scale of industry required to sustain the current state of life for a population our size.

[@chadjones1116]

How can people not like history this is incredible

[@gooner72]

History, good or bad, is fascinating..... they are too lazy, too stupid, too ignorant or a combination of all 3.

[@yellow01umrella]

@@gooner72 Lol pretty soon we'll be using Nukes again

[@yellow01umrella]

@@gooner72 To think people are somehow wiser than before is naive... its just a matter of time

[@jbt159]

@@yellow01umrella I agree

[@wereallfromspace9563]

Because of war 💀

[@turdferg9703]

The power to move earth like that is so incredible.

[@earth7551]

And Unholy

[@dabunnyrabbit2620]

@@earth7551 what does religion have to do with it?

[@low_bldp4480]

​@@DrDeuteron Magnitude is based on extrapolating back to a point source, even if the source is not a point. "Epicenter" is mostly just a mathematical center point. A way of measuring energy.

[@ree4238]

It's terrifying that we as humans possess this ability. Truly terrifying.

[@Navyguy1990]

Buried a mile underground and it still made the ground up heave 25 Ft! It’s hard to fathom the kind of explosive power it took to do that and the fact that this bomb had that power!

[@MrDavegiven0330]

Considering this was underground and only 1/3 the yield of Castle Bravo and 1/10 the yield of Tsar Bomba which were atmospheric detonations.

[@sigisoltau6073]

Well it does that if all the energy from the explosion is absorbed by the ground.

[@Navyguy1990]

@@sigisoltau6073 , Oh, I realized it happened. I’m just amazed by the sheer power of the bomb!

[@tayzonday]

Yeah that’s why UK strategic warheads max out at 100kt and why North Korea can deter when it’s only clear they can put 20kt warheads on missiles. 5 megatons isn’t necessary to deter. But it was useful when ICBMs were only accurate to within a half-mile.

[@mattmarzula]

@@Navyguy1990 out of curiosity... How is it hard to fathom with a 12:55 video that explains everything step by step and documents the whole thing?

[@buzaldrin8086]

Fun facts: The explosion resulted in a vertical ground motion of more than 15 feet (4.6 m) at a distance of 2,000 feet (610 m) from the borehole, equivalent to an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 on the Richter scale.

[@wessmall7957]

Imagine you sitting in your chair right now and all the furniture around you and the entire building you're in getting shoved up into the air 15 feet and dropped twice.

[@exxor9108]

@@wessmall7957 Then imagine standing upright when that happens. You're more than likely gonna suffer from a broken leg, or two.

[@jeronimofrancia8472]

And what happened to the crater any info on that

[@l8tbraker]

@@jeronimofrancia8472 "Within two days after the explosion, a (subsidence) crater more than one mile wide and 40 feet deep formed." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsidence_crater

[@jeronimofrancia8472]

@@l8tbraker thanks for the info¡

[@Ou81gi812]

There were 3 underground nuclear tests on Amchitka Island. Long Shot, Milrow, and Cannikin. I worked out there for 3 years; cleaning-up WW2 debris and building a “relocatable, over-the-horizon, backscatter radar station,” for the Navy...in the early ’80’s. One end of the Island had the “transmitter,” and the other end had the “receiver.” One side-note: Before we went out there, we were told that there was NO “tritium” in the water supply...because it was well-water. After our 3 year hitch, the Department Of Energy told us...by the way, there IS “tritium” in your water supply!!! The Government LIED to us, just so that Ronald Reagan could have one of his “Star Wars” projects fulfilled!!! Now, all of us who worked on Amchitka are in a D.O.E. database...to see who dies from cancer! It’s sad to think that our own government treats us like a “renewable, natural resource,” just as long as they get what they want. I do have plenty of fond memories: Scouring every inch of the Island on a Honda Four Trax 4x4, catching Dolly Varden on every cast in Cannikin Lake, and recovering tons of Coke bottles left by the 20,000 G.I.’s who inhabited the Island during WW2. It definitely was an adventure.

[@corkystock5229]

i worked there right after you when they built the backscatter radar system 1988/89, company i worked for did all of the electrical and fiberoptics

[@corkystock5229]

funny that nobody mentions all the WWII stuff you guys cleaned up, well most of it anyway, somewhere i have pictures of the harley and the pill boxes

[@briandemers869]

Your ROTHR array was relocated to Puerto Rico.

[@StephenFlynn-xl2fw]

I worked at a lab which did Star Wars stuff. Everyone involved said it was a good way to put your kids through college. Otherwise, complete crap.

[@Ou81gi812]

@@briandemers869 Thank you for the update! The last thing I heard was the ROTHR was going to Virginia. Evidently, keeping an eye on the South Africans is more important than monitoring China & Russia! 🤣 Incidentally, I also worked at every DEW Line Station from Point Lay to Barter Island (Kaktovik) along the Arctic Ocean…when they were manned, in the early 80’s. Again, thank you for your response.

[@chasestoudt6965]

I've actually been to Amchitka and fished in the lake Cannikin created as part of the DOE legacy monitoring program in 2016.

[@Belano1911]

Less than 5 Megatons, well that's reassuring!

[@nagualdesign]

It's an odd turn of phrase. I would have said "almost five megatons".

[@iitzfizz]

Right, it was 4.9 lmao

[@MaryStewart]

imagine tsar bomba denonated underground...

[@theg.c.142]

Love when you label the video with the individual event you're reporting on. Gives the viewer a tell of what's ahead. 👍🏻

[@kevinrivera1492]

Very very cool video! Thank you♡

[@anarkysouls]

2:43 5:07

[@elijahmckenzie987]

3:55

[@dilatedvision7014]

Thanks

[@heuixis]

this is fascinating

[@trashcompactorYT]

It must have been absolutely nerve racking to be lowering a gigantic nuclear warhead into the earth

[@yzScott]

Not to anyone that knows anything about how they work. It takes a very precision timed series of events for a nuke to detonate. It's not like there was any real chance of it going off other than when intended.

[@iitzfizz]

@@yzScott this. Always, never.

[@johnadm3479]

Thank for share video with us

[@zeus-mt7wx]

Sorry but looking back at all the nuke test that all countries did. It’s amazing that this world still exists.

[@mexicomexico5290]

You mean Us this word will be here after no more life in it

[@DanielCosta-zp6jl]

That’s how so many people around the world start to get cancer

[@lm1584]

we shouldn't exist - there has been 6-12 armageddon events the last 70 years that were avoided, but just barely - and in many cases, one person prevented. Im convinced that we have oversight to prevent human stupidity from destroying ourselves.

[@blunty6feetunder]

Wonder if rising cancer rates has anything to do with it though

[@soadj28]

@@DanielCosta-zp6jl That's because people aren't dying of other things. All the biggest killers used to be diseases like TB, now it's diseases due to aging. Cancer is inevitable, the longer a person lives, the greater the chance of cancer.

[@dougg1075]

Years ago I bought a VCR movie about this shot. May be this one but it had a LOT of footage of ground swell. Amazing I need to go find that tape

[@tedbaxter5234]

So much energy! Impressive!

[@oceanhome2023]

The Nuclear era turned a single second into an eternity now even a microsecond is considered a large period of time !

[@davidh9844]

If I'm not mistaken, from the time the conventional explosives ignite around the plutonium primary until the last set of fusion induced U238 fissioning atoms in the tertiary, is about 550 Millionths of a second.

[@EmersonCapuano]

😳 Thanks for sharing. 😃👍

[@maughan3061]

That was incredible. I'd love to have seen something about the men they lowered down the hole to dig out the cavity. But great video. Thank you

[@Asterra2]

Then you want to get your hands on a documentary called Atomic Journeys, by the same guy who made the top-tier Trinity and Beyond. I seem to recall it even has an interview or two of the guys involved in this particular test.

[@CtrlAltSkeet]

There is a flash visible at 5:09. I thought the device was underground.... why is there a visible flash?

[@ethang6735]

5875 feet underground and yet they still had to shelter 23 miles away. Incredible. You can hear the difference in this film vs those from the late 40's/early 50's. Its much more bland, almost grim. The others being more "upbeat" and exciting

[@ethang6735]

@Luke Hopkins depends on many things. If you were standing above it between the pressure changes and ground shock i cant imagine it being very fun

[@flyingtigerline]

Great history !!!

[@845835]

Completely contained underground you say. So basically it will eventually seep into underground water.

[@DinoNucci]

WOW @ the ground movement @ 2:43 ... Bonkers!

[@dougg1075]

Imagine the power to move that much earth instantly twenty five feet

[@Ou81gi812]

When you’re on Amchitka Island, you are as far East and as far West as you can go...all at the SAME time...because Amchitka is on the other side of the International Dateline...if it didn’t “jog.”

[@stephenmneedham]

No physical harm to the three headed fish or 17 legged penguins was detected...

[@ramirezvelazquez7285]

Yeah, the same happens with healing herbs from Chernobyl -- these herbs cure even open bone fractures, but first you have to chase the herbs!

[@ashuradoji966]

Penguins?

[@patrickhorvath2684]

@@ashuradoji966 Vela event. South Africa's secret nuke test in the Antarctic lol

[@bryanbressem5026]

Isn't no penguin in artic, shows your stupidity up front

[@AdamBorseti]

@@bryanbressem5026 "Isn't no penguin in the artic" and you're calling someone stupid? I'm not even going to joke about this.....

[@tlamn1905]

AWESOME! Thank you! PS: Any chance of an Operation Dominic; Bighorn Shot (Top Three Favourite Fireballs/Clouds) Vid? Anniversary is my BDay, more importantly, it's freaking amazing! Of course, I know how much work is required and that this request ain't happening, but He Who Dares... LOL! Great vid and Cheers again, mate! Sry, I'll do a Snack and Hard Liquor Run next time!

[@petergray2712]

Is there any footage of Project Plowshare tests? Principally Projects Gasbuggy, Rullison and Rio Blanco?

[@gooner72]

Christ, I could've used some of these to help dig the footings of the last house I built...... it was a bastard!! To raise the ground by 23 ft whilst buried at that depth just shows you how incredibly powerful these devices are.

[@kellydunnigan6371]

Lol you can sure tell that’s a government project. In the first three minutes there’s at least 50 guys standing around with their hands their pockets watching a guy or two working. Can you imagine the cost of that project sending all that equipment and all those men to the middle of nowhere dig a hole 5000 feet deep and line it with steel all to blow off the worlds biggest firecrackers

[@buckhorncortez]

No, I imagine comments without the word "imagine" in them used as if it's groundbreaking, new thought...

[@rdspam]

Share with us your cheap way of underground testing nuclear/atomic weapons. Just drop it in the NYC Subway?

[@nunyabusiness8538]

it was a scientific test. somebody had to do it eventually

[@pleasedpopper4521]

Firecrackers...nukes are, while immoral, a technological marvel that exemplifies human intelligence and also foolishness to actually plan to use these things

[@escapedcops08]

Ugh.... This old ass joke again.

[@dougg1075]

Yeah the VCR tape I bought of this event in the late 90s has a lot more footage of trailers being tossed about and ground rolling. Also cliff face crumbling

[@johnos4892]

The government did an underground nuclear test in western Colorado in 1969. Near Rulison, Co. . The purpose was to explore peaceful uses, like mining, digging and so on. The bomb area is still under government control today. Another "seemed like a good idea at the time" government move.

[@lajonnunez5578]

Also fun fact this device is part of the deliverable Thermonuclear

[@Evan_Bell]

Was*

[@muhammadsufiyan8846]

Imagine Tsar Bomba was detonated underground

[@henriquefern67]

Imagine 100 tsar bomb was detonated underground

[@WeDoLoveU]

@@henriquefern67 all kind of nuclear bomb will detonate at Armageddon war. That will be the last war on earth. The destruction will be unimaginable.

[@aka203_er]

Wow, thanks for sharing 🙏. Interesting that the speaker points out no radiation acitivity. I wonder if it could affect any underground water resources nearby in any manner. Complete lack of any radioactivity is quite strange

[@BTW...]

Yeah, unbelievable, because turns out it was a lie.

[@MarcABrown-tt1fp]

@@BTW... Prove it. You seriously act like you know everything.... Say that to the face of those who carried out those orders.

[@nagualdesign]

@@MarcABrown-tt1fp It's obviously untrue if you know anything about nuclear radiation. The entire neutron flux of the detonation was absorbed by the surrounding earth, and we know that groundwater flowed through the epicenter, so there would be a steady stream of 'dirty water' for decades to come.

[@nagualdesign]

@@MarcABrown-tt1fp _"Say that to the face of those who carried out those orders."_ What does that even mean? 😕

[@MarcABrown-tt1fp]

@@nagualdesign Him calling the nuclear bomb tests a lie requires citation. Also chances are the ground water there was and is irradiated. There is no easy way to create craters and land movement that large without nuclear bombs.

[@RalphReagan]

I had forgotten this test. My father was here in the war.

[@Bad_Chad]

Did they test around here maybe in part to intimidate the Russians?

[@carlrossi7989]

They tested there because the device was too large to test underground in Nevada-it would have produced unacceptable ground motion in Las Vegas, particularly amongst the tall buildings. There were some Megaton-range underground test shots done at NTS and also at the Central Nevada Supplementary Test Site near Tonopah [check out a test called, ironically as it turned out, "Faultless] but the Spartan ABM warhead was too powerful to be tested in CONUS. Amchitka was the site of two previous underground nuclear tests and already belonged to the US Government, made most sense to test there.

[@roywhiteo5]

the russians detonated a bomb 10x more powerful 10 years earlier

[@artlopes9463]

Or because they were irresponsible idiots.

[@petergray2712]

The Spartan missile was an anti ballistic missile meant to intercept incoming Soviet ICBMs. Naturally it had a 5 mt nuclear warhead, because the only way to defend the CONUS against enemy nuclear warheads was to detonate another large nuclear warhead directly overhead. Fortunately the ABM Treaty was signed in 1972 and put a stop to this madness.

[@EuanWhitehead]

That's amazing. Of course they figured out in the end that it's better to stop an ICBM in its Orbital stage becuase when it's in the atmosphere it's either too quick or launched from another country.

[@mattmarzula]

Sure it did... I guess North Korea forgot to sign it...

[@kylesenior]

The ABM treaty didn't ban ABMs, it just limited the number (200 each) and the number of permitted deployment location (1). Russia has maintained to this day a nuclear armed ABM system to defend Moscow.

[@robertreynolds9228]

Cool beans man.

[@Ziggerath]

always appreciate when the video doesn't have annoying youtuber commentary

[@corkystock5229]

i worked there in 1988/89, there is a plaque next to the lake that was created from the indentation left from the blast, i also am friends with a guy that was on the dig.

[@ssrv4gaminggrounds98]

How to create a Megathrust Earthquake

[@sbreheny]

In the films of the trailers moving, I notice that there are flashes of light before the movement. Are those intentional indicator lights to show the moment of detonation?

[@dougg1075]

I have a VHS tape of this event that show much better shots of the ground rolling like a today wave and those trailers bouncing around.

[@claudiomatteoramos4569]

Us rn: tOdAy wEre gOinG tO mAkE aN eArThQuAkE bY uSinG 5 mEgAfUcK tOnS oF tNt

[@lauralauren6432]

Crazy monsters.

[@RCAvhstape]

Imagine the hell that is happening a mile underground. Rock melted, and giant cavern created, a mile's worth of rock instantly shoved out of the way.

[@winningjubbly9712]

I like it, I think it's nice 😊

[@StevenGamesWHC]

At 5 Mt I'm surprised at how little the ground collapsed I would have expected it to vaporize a 100+ void which would collapse un less it turned into a geode and I'm curious what it looks like at the epicenter how big of a cavern if any and how much radiation

[@SHAWVEE]

"l8tbraker 3 months ago @Jerónimo Francia "Within two days after the explosion, a (subsidence) crater more than one mile wide and 40 feet deep formed." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsidence_crater"

[@bernardxhullima5439]

How big was the underground cavity ?

[@jimdieseldawg3435]

Creation Of V/STOL Polar Bear: Successful.

[@johngoerger8996]

Has there been any attempt to send a robotic device into the underground area to examine the aftermath of the denoation and to see what was created?

[@KB4QAA]

Collapsed rubble. There is no "space" to be explored.

[@th3azscorpio]

@@KB4QAA Really? How so? I thought underground nukes left behind cavities afterwards.

[@gma729]

I ❤ ATOMIC TESTS CHANNEL 🙂👍

[@Mike-tg7dj]

I wonder if it would kill you if you were standing above the detonation. Would the shockwave bubble kill you?

[@Jacob_Crowthorne]

Yep.

[@milosphotos]

If you look closely after the ground settles from the explosion, you can see that ripples are still apparent and slowly move through the ground.

[@BaitedBeans]

“ground shock resulting from the detonation” my brother in christ the earth just inhaled

[@wechaimoua6786]

Where is the explosion actions of this 5 megatons test? We need to see the actions and affectings.

[@nagualdesign]

It's underground. 👍😉

[@pspicer777]

So, if I'm going to build a bunker at my house I need to dig 5,800 ft underground? Hmm, I better get started.

[@micstonemic696stone]

Was there a person I see running in front of the camera in front of trailer number 107 ?

[@fizzie6902]

And this is how Eldritch horrors and Kaiju are awakened to reek havoc on the earth.

[@str8chillin18]

Water turbulence is crazy

[@saitamabeatsgoku1960]

Does anyone know how big the cavity was ?

[@mattmarzula]

Had to close that Kaiju portal...

[@johntheux9238]

Bunker Buster!

[@danielhowell1640]

It looks like you couldve been standing right on top of it and survived.

[@chrisdarr3774]

I don't think being lifted 25 feet and dropped you leave you unaffected.

[@toddmay3856]

Considering how fast the ground comes up, I believe you would be a little shorter…

[@leechowning2712]

@@toddmay3856 I would expect like 4-6 gee upwards. So only if you were sitting or laying. Standing would simply break you.

[@Alexandria197]

I bet that melted the dirt underneath the surface!

[@flapjacks28]

A 50 megaton would’ve blown up the entire island

[@nelutu6506]

Very usefull tests for the humanity....

[@ShinVega]

@5:10 Shoryuken!!!

[@vanilla2137]

Atomic Tests Channel, is there a way for you to upload the videos in 1440p and 4k as well? I along with some others only have a 1440p monitor and 1080p looks blurry because of upscaling. also what is your native language?

[@NecumNaTo]

Yes, 4K would be nice for future-profing, also youtube does use horrible co pression on videos, 1080p is squished to low bitrate and is blurry. Thanks!

[@bryandepaepe5984]

The actual film used to record video at the time came in wide range of quality with cinematic quality 35mm film being the most expensive, this film looks to be of the 8mm type.

[@kollusion1]

"Atomic journeys" by Peter Kuran has some good footage of this test.

[@choppertimberland139]

What about the actual source of these videos. The for declassified a ton of footage and they have a tube channel too

[@pyrodiscoflash6115]

I want to Know where that Recording Trailer Park ended up and the Outcome of Ionized Radioactive C.H.U.D.s, the story must be Told in B format preferably

[@jamoR72]

If u hear any weird booms in your area....this is the explanation

[@lajonnunez5578]

Project Cannikin is a 5 Megaton Shot which was very big the detonation was actually planned to be at the nevada test site but the radius was to big so they had to find the perfect area to detonate the device they looked everywhere and got the perfect area to detonate the device the are to test the weapon was big enough so the island was called Amchitka Alaska in the chain of artic islands at alaska as the story at alaska called the big boom cannikin can be carried by the B-36 or B-52 part of the thermonuclear dropabble weapons

[@vanilla2137]

oh my god do you just know all this stuff?

[@nagualdesign]

@@vanilla2137 😆 You're kidding, right? He didn't even form a comprehensible sentence!

[@jeremygreen3392]

That will shut up those noisy crickets....

[@davidkay7389]

Testing out Liberty Prime there

[@martinxavier4631]

So what does an underground nuclear explosion do?

[@BiG420ToMaTo420BuDs]

And they made sure to test it on the third closest island to the Russian mainland

[@OphielPan]

Does anybody know the origin of the flash at 5:45? Are those neutron beams coming from the detonation?

[@deprivedoftrance]

i believe just flashes synced with detonation, for timing shock arrival probably.

[@OphielPan]

@@deprivedoftrance those flashes are visible in the other footages taken in the different angles around ground zero, I think at the exact moment of the detonation, half a second before the shockwaves

[@dolphincliffs8864]

Ophiel Neutrons are far outside the visible spectrum. So no.

[@klnsbl]

@@dolphincliffs8864 neutrons are not even electromagnetic waves.

[@breadshovel]

bro turned off gravity 💀

[@thetigerstripes]

The Thorium tamper was the source of an excessive release of Tachyon Particles close to the Romulons home planet which almost caused a war.

[@low_bldp4480]

Sounds like some kind of fanfic, lol.

[@timmccormack710]

Detonating a nuke in a tectonic plate fault zone is beyond irresponsible.

[@arunrangala]

After so long...mm

[@OfficialAlphaTZ]

Welp I've discovered a new way to loosen up the dirt in my dry ass garden lawn

[@PaulHigginbothamSr]

This 5 Megatron test was for space use. It was in the papers at the time as being a neutron bomb. Thus operable in space to still be effective outside our atmosphere. Which is traversed by all inter contenintal ballistic weapons. It would have been involved with national defense in interception at the high arc of the missile when it cannot alter it's flight path in any large degree and this includes the newest weapons designed by Russia with the dogem strategy. If it is to hit any target it must obey ballistic physics so can be predicted in its future flight path. It has to use neutrons to effect the missile warhead in space.

[@jonathandavisofkorn6919]

BIRDS Fleeing for their LIVES @8:19 into the Video!!! Wonder what it felt like!!! 😂

[@billy.2156]

Imagine your just chilling and you got launched into the air and you fall into the sea resulting death

[@Max_RO1]

Not how it would work but ok

[@trebreh1100]

To bad the native people that lived here before we did weren't as smart as us. They just lived at peace with and respect of the earth. But we can "control" our destruction and defilement of our planet and leave the mess for future generations to deal with.

[@mikemcgrath5188]

mad men

[@jerryingram1563]

Did anyone. here work on the Island in late 67 early 68. I looking for other works that have gotten cancers afterward.

[@pyrusrex2882]

The world's biggest trampoline

[@bobsmith-qz2pv]

Nukes are dope AF 🤙

[@UltimateEnd0]

So like a 7.6 magnitude quake?

[@glennb6224]

The entire missile was suspended by a 2x4 wood derrick built from a local lumber yard.

[@lajonnunez5578]

Family such as tx17

[@Evan_Bell]

No, W-71.

[@dennisstorie4604]

Mile underground

[@derekv8534]

As much as I love evolving science, who in the hell thought it would be a good idea to detonate a nuclear war head 5,000 feet below the surface of a volcanic island in the seam of a tectonic plate?? And how was that sold to other scientists??

[@buckhorncortez]

"Let's see what happens..."?

[@fiiral5870]

How would this do anything? This is barely 5MT (~10^16J by quick coversion (1kT = 4.1*10^12J)) nothing compared to the mass of a tectonic plate. A quick google search shows that a tectonic plate masses around 10^22kg so lets plug that in. F = 1/2*m*v^2 10^16J = 1/2*10^22kg*v^2 v^2 = sqrt(2*10^16J/10^22kg) v = 0.0014m/s This explosion could at best have accelerated the plate to 0.0014m/s assuming a pointlike collosion and perfect conversion (you can assume a loss of around 3 orders of magnitude combined). So it likely accelerated the plate to 0.0000014m/s. English is not my native language but I hope the math help to clear stuff out.

[@carlmalone4011]

These weapons are mankind going insane.

[@NathansHVAC]

CoVID-19 is

[@JohnDoe-vf2yo]

These weapons are keeping the peace. Ever wondered why there was never another worldwide war after the advent of nuclear weapons? Mutually Assured Destruction.

[@dingo137]

@@JohnDoe-vf2yo That's fine, but every year there's a risk of a technical glitch, misunderstanding or other mistake leading to a nuclear war, even if nobody would deliberately start one. There were several times in the cold war that we came alarmingly close.

[@craigpaske9351]

No just you.

[@geoffws6]

Worlds largest trampoline.