Nuke over U.S. could unleash electromagnetic tsunami

Nuke over U.S. could unleash electromagnetic tsunami

If Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda — or the dictators of North Korea or Iran — had the ability to destroy America as a superpower, would they be tempted to try?

Wouldn't that temptation be even greater if that result could be achieved with a single attack, involving just one nuclear weapon, perhaps even one of modest power and relatively unsophisticated design?

And, what if the attacker could be reasonably sure that the United States would not know who was responsible for such a devastating blow?

Unfortunately, that scenario is not far fetched. It is the conclusion of a report issued in 2004 by a blue ribbon commission created by Congress. The commission found that a single nuclear weapon, delivered by a ballistic missile to an altitude of a few hundred miles over the United States, would be "capable of causing catastrophe for the nation."

How is that possible? By precipitating a lethal electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack.

In 2000, concerned about EMP technology, Congress created the "Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse Attack" (the EMP Threat Commission, for short). In its final report, presented in summer 2004, the panel warned that terrorists could indeed execute such an attack by launching a small nuclear armed missile from a freighter off the coast of the United States...

A nuclear weapon produces several different effects. The best known are the intense heat and hyperpressures associated with the fireball and the accompanying blast.

But a nuclear explosion also generates massive outputs of other kinds of energy. These include the creation of intense streams of x-rays and gamma-rays. If those are unleashed outside the earth's atmosphere, some of them will interact with the air molecules of the upper atmosphere.

The result is an enormous pulsed current of high energy electrons that will interact, in turn, with the earth's magnetic field.

In an instant, an invisible radio frequency wave is produced — a wave of almost unimaginably immense intensity, approximately a million times as strong as the most powerful radio signals on the earth. The energy of this pulse would reach everything in line of sight of the detonation. And it would do so at the speed of light.

The higher the altitude of the weapon's detonation, the larger the affected area would be. At a height of three hundred miles, for example, the entire continental United States would be exposed, along with parts of Canada and Mexico.

As the fireball expands in space, it would also generate electrical currents on earth — ultra high-speed electromagnetic "shock waves" that would endanger much of our technological infrastructure. Such high speed currents would disable, temporarily or permanently...

As the EMP Threat Commission put it: The electromagnetic fields produced by weapons designed and deployed with the intent to produce EMP have a high likelihood of damaging electrical power systems, electronics, and information systems upon which American society depends. Their effects on dependent systems and infrastructures could be sufficient to qualify as catastrophic to the nation...

Much, much more.....

My jaw just hit the ground when I read this....

Does anyone have any thoughts on this??? I'm currently speechless...

That exactly what happen in the TV show 24 Season 4, but it was a little EMP and everything was fried 10 km around the device.

Ummm. I think the point is this:

Nukes can unleash electromagnetic tsunamis

Like, they don't have to be over the USA. Of all the thousands of nukes unleashed on the world, relatively few have been in the USA I think.

FYI - electromagnetic radiation also plays a role in triggering earthquakes.

This is the entire article: www.worldtribune.com...

It is a reprint of a US Navy report. So it's legit. Itr would only take one nuke to put us back to the start of the 20th century.

If it mainly only affects the technological infrastructure would that mean a lead box could keep an iPod from being wiped and destroyed?

I can see a million dollar idea coming - The iLead Box - protect your iPod from an EMP attack because when you have nothing else, atleast you'll have your iPod!

Maybe i'll go get some lead and build one when i get my Tamiflu.

Anybody interested in a research project that looks for coorelations between nuclear testing, earthquakes, and anomolous storms?

...I could run around in circles for years with all the ideas I get here!

Originally posted by soficrow
Anybody interested in a research project that looks for coorelations between nuclear testing, earthquakes, and anomolous storms?

...I could run around in circles for years with all the ideas I get here!

Actually there is a correlation between a french bomb test in the pacific and last years tsunami...................

As far as other nuke testing, that why we have no more "air" testing of nukes.

There is also evidence that an Iranian underground nuke test caused thier recent earthquake and the one two years ago.......

Here is another thread on the subject:

www.abovetopsecret.com...


[edit on 8-12-2005 by thermopolis]

More info in this thread:

Iran plans to knock out U.S. with 1 nuclear bomb with electro-magnetic pulse

so what about all the nuclear tests above the usa in the 1960`s then? yes the EMP effects were discovered then - but atmospheric megatonne tests didn`t emp the whole of CONUS.

Originally posted by Harlequin
so what about all the nuclear tests above the usa in the 1960`s then? yes the EMP effects were discovered then - but atmospheric megatonne tests didn`t emp the whole of CONUS.

I think the bomb would have to be designed for this and exploded at a very high altitude to have that effect.

Originally posted by djohnsto77

Originally posted by Harlequin
so what about all the nuclear tests above the usa in the 1960`s then? yes the EMP effects were discovered then - but atmospheric megatonne tests didn`t emp the whole of CONUS.

I think the bomb would have to be designed for this and exploded at a very high altitude to have that effect.

Ordinary nukes have EMP effects that can be magnified with a little tinkering - but the tinkering isn't essential. The height of the detonation increases the area immediately affected - but the area needs to be technologically advanced for the immediate effects to be recognized.

EMP effects from tests in the 60's would not have been apparent because commonly used technologies were different then, and even access to electricity was not universal. Most indigenous peopl living in Nevada and New Mexico where the testing took place did not have electricity, and still don't.

The warhead used in the Spartan (W71) was an enhanced radiation device and a thermonuclear version of the W31 used in the nike hercules.

By enhanced radiation i mean X-Ray enhanced (which is done by adding a layer of gold to the outside of the warhead!!) other warheads have other enhancements - neutron enhancement is used on the W70-3 warhead on the LANCE tactical missile (as an example)


johnstone island - `tightrope` (operation dominic) shot fired from a nike hercules november 1962 was the last high yield airburst at an altitude of 69,000 feet, warhead type is estimated at 40kt.

this caused EMP effects over a wide area , but didn`t kill anything electronic, and the radio`s worked a few minutes later.


have a watch of `trinity and beyond` towards the end (time index of 1hr 25mins and onwards)

also watch `nukes in space` for the SAFEGUARD system and tests of the SPARTON and SPRINT ABM missles.

srmsc.org...


[edit on 8-12-2005 by Harlequin]