Key:
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12 psi (pounds per square inch) Radius: 1.7 miles [Note: The outside edge of this shaded area represents the 12 psi ring. Blast pressure within the ring is greater than 12 psi; blast pressure outside the ring is less than 12 psi.] At the center of the ring lies a crater 200 feet deep and 1000 feet in diameter. The rim of this crater is 1,000 feet wide and is composed of highly radioactive soil and debris. Nothing recognizable remains within about 3,200 feet (0.6 miles) from the center, except, perhaps, the remains of some buildings' foundations. At 1.7 miles, only some of the strongest buildings -- those made of reinforced, poured concrete -- are still standing. Ninety-eight percent of the population in this area are dead. |
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5 psi Radius: 2.7 miles Virtually everything is destroyed between the 12 and 5 psi rings. The walls of typical multi-story buildings, including apartment buildings, have been completely blown out. The bare, structural skeletons of more and more buildings rise above the debris as you approach the 5 psi ring. Single-family residences within this this area have been completely blown away -- only their foundations remain. Fifty percent of the population between the 12 and 5 psi rings are dead. Forty percent are injured. |
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2 psi Radius: 4.7 miles Any single-family residences that have not been completely destroyed are heavily damaged. The windows of office buildings have been blown away, as have some of their walls. Everything on these buildings' upper floors, including the people who were working there, are thrown onto the street. Substantial debris clutters the entire area. Five percent of the population between the 5 and 2 psi rings are dead. Forty-five percent are injured. |
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1 psi Radius: 7.4 miles Residences are moderately damaged. Commercial buildings have sustained minimal damage. Twenty-five percent of the population between the 2 and 1 psi rings have been injured, mainly by flying glass and debris. Many others have been injured from thermal radiation -- the heat generated by the blast. The remaining seventy-five percent are unhurt. |
NOTE: This information is drawn mainly from "The Effects of Nuclear War" (Washington: Office of Technology Assessment, Congress of the United States, 1979). The zones of destruction mapped out on this page are broad generalizations and do not take into account factors such as weather and geography.
1 Mt Surface Blast: Fallout Map
Assumptions
Wind speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: due east
Time frame: 7 days
Key
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3,000 Rem* Distance: 30 miles Much more than a lethal dose of radiation. Death can occur within hours of exposure. About ten years will need to pass before levels of radioactivity in this area drop low enough to be considered safe, by U.S. peacetime standards. |
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900 Rem Distance: 90 miles A lethal dose of radiation. Death occurs from two to fourteen days. |
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300 Rem Distance: 160 miles Causes extensive internal damage, including harm to nerve cells and the cells that line the digestive tract. Also results in a loss of white blood cells and temporary hair loss. |
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90 Rem Distance: 250 miles No immediate harmful effects, but does result in a temporary decrease in white blood cells. Two to three years will need to pass before radioactivity levels in this area drop low enough to be considered safe, by U.S. peacetime standards. |
*Rem: Stands for "roentgen equivalent man." It is a measurement used to quantify the amount of radiation that will produce certain biological effects.
NOTE: This information is drawn mainly from "The Effects of Nuclear War" (Washington: Office of Technology Assessment, Congress of the United States, 1979). The zones of destruction mapped out on this page are broad generalizations and do not take into account factors such as weather and geography.
To find out more about fallout, as well as other effects of the explosion, go to Effects of a Nuclear Explosion.