Tunguska blast simulation by Sandia lab

[stanisbell]

Would this, or another asteroid like it, cause an EMP you reckon? Read NYT bestseller, "One Second After" for the possible after effects of an EMP generated by a nuke detonated above the atmosphere over a major metropolis. Interesting.

[ActiveStorage]

what material did u use for the simulation? and what's the scale of it? would be better if there was actual gradation in kilometers or miles around the image. That way it becomes clear when and where the heating starts and how far the shock wave spreads etc.

[2Nyce4dagame]

umm whats that bubble at the bottom

[ugowar]

@2Nyce4dagame Shockwave being reflected off the ground. That's what leveled all the trees away from ground zero except for a small region directly below.

[FatalFist]

@ugowar There's still downforce from the wave though. It wouldn't happen. It'd have crushed the trees in the center down.

[ugowar]

@FatalFist Correct, that's why the trees near ground zero have their branches ripped off, but the main stem (which stands vertical) remains standing. Notice I said the trees far from GZ were leveled, I didn't say the ones near were left *intact*.

Farther out, the direct and reflected shockwaves form the so-called Mach stem that sweeps basically radially outward so nothing is left standing.

[hyperthreaded]

Was that in real time?

[ugowar]

I can't say, the first segment definitely looks speeded up to me, the second part where I slowed it down to 1/2 simulation speed looks like it might be closer to real time, judging by how fast the shockwave moves. It still looks a bit too fast, though.

[albedoshader]

@ugowar: I think the speed of the animation is constant. The air density rises exponentially the nearer the asteroid is to the ground, so the breakup dissipates a lot of kinetic energy very fast.

[joshig1983]

That's surprising. I didn't hear of this event before. The wikipedia article on it has some interesting first hand reports from people that were nearby. That's really amazing and a bit scary.

[blah3412]

this wuz on discovery.... but it wuz pretty coool