How much explosive was needed to make a blast of that size in Beruit??? Not as big as the Halifax disaster but exponential of a MOAB?

2020-08-04T20:30:34-04:00

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Aug 4 at 2020 8:41 PM

2020-08-04T20:41:51-04:00

Once upon a time there was a nuclear weapon blast calculator on line where you could pick a location and some equivalent of TNT and it would show you on a map the blast effect. You could get your question answered there.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 4 at 2020 9:45 PM

2020-08-04T21:45:29-04:00

Somewhere someone knows that number right now (I'm sure the satellite imagery makes a pretty good guess). We all could, but I can't find consistent data to the extend of the damage at varying distances. Somewhere I'm sure weather satellites have the pressure spikes and then it's just a simple calculation.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 4 at 2020 9:51 PM

2020-08-04T21:51:40-04:00

The news reports stated 2750 tonnes (metric) of ammonium nitrate detonated.
That is 3031 tons, given an RE factor of .74, the explosion was equivalent to 2243 tons of TNT, or 2.2 kiloton yield.

A MOAB is 11 tons, for comparison.

Response by TSgt David L. made Aug 4 at 2020 9:57 PM

2020-08-04T21:57:50-04:00

We'd have to time out the blast wave in milliseconds and then figure out the NEW based on how far the damage was. I'm guessing close to 5-10,000 pounds since it broke windows over 6 miles away. Just a SWAG though.

Response by CW4 Guy Butler made Aug 5 at 2020 7:30 AM

2020-08-05T07:30:19-04:00

Reminds me of the West, Texas ammonium nitrate explosion.

https://youtu.be/b1UbSYOxhjU

Shockwave of West, TX explosion seen in new video

One year ago today a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant rocked the town of West, Texas.Jeff Tobola has just now released heart-stopping cell phone video...

Response by SFC Kelly Fuerhoff made Aug 5 at 2020 1:40 PM

2020-08-05T13:40:12-04:00

The news said it was 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate so...that much?

Here's an article from today: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/05/world/middleeast/beirut-explosion.html

'Lebanese officials knew of the dangers posed by the ammonium nitrate stored at the port for years, according to public records, but failed to act. And anger at Lebanon’s hierarchy flared on the streets a day after the explosion."

As Death Toll Rises in Beirut Blast, a Search for Answers and Survivors: Live Updates

Some 300,000 people are displaced from their homes by the explosion that killed more than 100 people. Rescue workers dug through rubble as fires continued to burn.