Massive Explosion Reported at Iran's Fordow Nuclear Facility [plus TXnMA Photo Analysis]

Business Insider Military and Defense ^ | Jan. 28, 2013, 7:03 AM | Robert Johnson

[TXnMA]

Reports of an explosion at Iran's Fordow nuclear facility have surfaced and are being both confirmed and denied by multiple sources.

The Jerusalem Post cites a report by Reza Kahlili that says: “The blast shook facilities within a radius of three miles. Security forces have enforced a no-traffic radius of 15 miles, and the Tehran- Qom highway was shut down for several hours after the blast.” Kahlili's report says the Fordow nuclear facility was severely damaged in an explosion and up to 240 workers trapped inside. The explosion was reportedly confined to the plant, suggesting that if it were an airstrike, it was highly localized. But this possibility is no more or less likely than sabotage, or an accident, assuming the explosion occurred at all.

>SNIP<

Iran's official news agency, says the same thing, with the IRNA, promptly denying the explosion, claiming the news was simply the result of the Western media-fueled "propoganda machine." That might have ended the story there, but The Times of London's Israel correspondent Sheera Frenkel is confirming the incident through her own independent sources: An explosion is believed to have damaged Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility, which is being used to enrich uranium, Israeli intelligence officials have told The Times. Sources in Tel Aviv said yesterday that they thought the explosion happened last week. The Israeli Government is investigating reports that it led to extensive structural damage and 200 workers had been trapped inside. One Israeli official said: “We are still in the preliminary stages of understanding what happened and how significant it is.” He did not know, he added, if the explosion was “sabotage or accident”, and refused to comment on reports that Israeli aircraft were seen near the facility at the time of the explosion.

[PA Engineer]

To me, it looks like a massive sinkhole, something that you'd see on the surface that was caused by a huge subterranean collapse.

I agree and a collapse may be consistent with a lack of any major seismic activity.

[lafroste]

That’s some pretty damning evidence, but why is the depth reported as 19.2 miles? Any ideas?

[Political Junkie Too]

I was also way off in my location, putting the earthquake far to the south of where the site is.

Still...

-PJ

[Proud2BeRight]

“That is my new favorite phrase. : )”

You must be part of the “vast right wing conspiracy”.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Very good,...Excellent work!

[TXnMA]

Thanks! But you started with the already-"stained" image, right? I've started with the "before" image, and, beginning with a black or dark gray oval with gaussian-blurred edges, am trying various mathematical options for making it transparent and reacting it with the background. So far, everthing I've tried that looks halfway right, increases the saturation of the underlying image (instead of "washing it out" as if it were covered in dark dust...

I expect I could do it by rendering the image from RGB to CMYK, and then mucking about with the "K" (black) channel. But it beats me as to why anyone would go to so much trouble just to post a hokey image on an obscure business site...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

That is an ABSOLUTE MUST SEE VIDEO!

Thanks for posting it.....pinging others to see it.

[nuconvert]

I see no difference

[steve86]

I posted several days ago that there were no earthquakes within 200 miles on the day in question. Actually, yours was a little farther. This is getting kind of like “I want to believe”.

[nuconvert]

Thanx for your pings.
I’m still not convinced that this whole thing wasn’t cooked up by the regime to keep the IAEA away from Fordow.

[steve86]

If a significant explosion or disaster of any kind occurred an authentic post-photo would show hundreds of trucks, trailers, and heavy equipment for rescue and recovery.

Where are they?

[nascarnation]

Staying away due to radiation exposure?
Just guessing.

I really don’t have a strong opinion on the validity of this whole thing.

[steve86]

If there were enough radiation extant to keep rescuers more than, say, a mile away then counters would be lighting up all over the world. Anyway, it would be like Chernobyl where some number of crews would be working at zero distance, protected as well as they could be, with other lined up in vehicles at various radiuses mostly upwind. There’s no evidence of any of that. The photo looks exactly like a cloud shadow to me as others have pointed out.

[nascarnation]

You may well be right. If this really did happen, I speculate that it’s far too big a deal to suppress the facts long term.

[LucyT]

*

*

The significance of this report is that it includes a satellite photo that, purportedly, includes evidence of an explosion at the facility

Article,

. . . . then must - see video at # 24 .

Thanks, Ernest_at_the_Beach.

[classified]

Interesting the video was working earlier but I can not seem to get it to play. Anyone else have a problem?

[nascarnation]

If you’re talking about the Kudlow video I posted, it played just fine 30 seconds ago (after the annoying commercial for their alarm clock app, lol)
Dell/Win 7/Mozilla

[SaraJohnson]

Cat Stevens

I’m being followed by a big Muslim,
Big Muslim
Big Muslim
: )

[Godzilla]

It’s either massive smoke, or Godzilla’s shadow. Nooooooooooooooo

[The Cajun]

Did a negative image of the *Cloud?* image to see if it brought out anything more.
Brings out the Northern tunnel entrances more.
Didn't spend any time working with variations off the negative image however.