Thursday 08 Apr '04 - + 6 - 2 Blast Impact Calculator
This Impact Effect Calculator
is spectacular; especially if you are, like me, convinced that an Earth
Killer is due any day now. I can figure out how much damage will be
dealt by objects coming in at various sizes; speeds; compositions and
impact angles. Read more for sample output...
...And yes, I know 6 degrees is ridiculous. Humour me.
Impact Effects
-
Your Inputs:
- Distance from Impact: 5.00 km = 3.10 miles
- Projectile Diameter: 100.00 m = 328.00 ft = 0.06 miles
- Projectile Density: 8000 kg/m3
- Impact Velocity: 35.00 km/s = 21.73 miles/s
- Impact Angle: 6 degrees
- Target Density: 1500 kg/m3
- Target Type: Competent Rock or saturated soil
-
Energy:
- 2.57 x 1018 Joules = 6.13 x 102 MegaTons TNT
- The average interval between impacts of this size somewhere on Earth is 1.5 x 104years
-
Crater Size:
- What does this mean?
- Transient Crater Diameter:
2.10 km = 1.30 miles
- Final Crater Diameter:
2.32 km = 1.44 miles
The crater formed is a simple crater
-
Thermal Radiation:
- What does this mean?
- Time for maximum radiation: 0.08 seconds after impact
- Visible fireball radius: 2.7 km = 1.7 miles
- The fireball appears 124.4 times larger than the sun
- Thermal Exposure: 4.90 x 106 Joules/m2
- Duration of Irradiation: 4 seconds
- Radiant flux (relative to the sun): 1375.9
- Effects of Thermal Radiation:
Clothing ignites
Much of the body suffers third degree burns
Newspaper ignites
Plywood flames
Deciduous trees ignite
Grass ignites
-
Seismic Effects:
- What does this mean?
The major seismic shaking will arrive at approximately 1.0 seconds. - Richter Scale Magnitude: 6.5
- Mercalli Scale Intensity at a distance of 5 km:
VII. Difficult to stand. Noticed by drivers of motor cars.
Hanging objects quiver. Furniture broken. Damage to masonry D,
including cracks. Weak chimneys broken at roof line. Fall of plaster,
loose bricks, stones, tiles, cornices (also unbraced parapets and
architectural ornaments). Some cracks in masonry C. Waves on ponds;
water turbid with mud. Small slides and caving in along sand or gravel
banks. Large bells ring. Concrete irrigation ditches damaged.
VIII. Steering of motor cars affected. Damage to masonry C;
partial collapse. Some damage to masonry B; none to masonry A. Fall of
stucco and some masonry walls. Twisting, fall of chimneys, factory
stacks, monuments, towers, elevated tanks. Frame houses moved on
foundations if not bolted down; loose panel walls thrown out. Decayed
piling broken off. Branches broken from trees. Changes in flow or
temperature of springs and wells. Cracks in wet ground and on steep
slopes.
Masonry A. Good workmanship, mortar, and design; reinforced,
especially laterally, and bound together using steel, concrete, etc.;
designed to resist lateral forces.
Masonry B. Good workmanship and mortar; reinforced, but not designed in detail to resist lateral forces.
Masonry C. Ordinary workmanship and mortar; no extreme weaknesses
like failing to tie in at corners, but neither reinforced nor designed
against horizontal forces.
Masonry D. Weak materials, such as adobe; poor mortar; low standards of workmanship; weak horizontally.
-
Ejecta:
- What does this mean?
The ejecta will arrive approximately 32.0 seconds after the impact. - Average Ejecta Thickness: 1.6 m = 5.29 ft
- Mean Fragment Diameter: 39.3 m = 129.08 ft
-
Air Blast:
- What does this mean?
The air blast will arrive at approximately 16.7 seconds. - Peak Overpressure: 26545.0 Pa = 0.2654 bars = 3.7694 psi
- Max wind velocity: 51.3 m/s = 114.8 mph
- Sound Intensity: 88 dB (Loud as heavy traffic)
- Damage Description:
Glass windows will shatter.
About 30 percent of trees blown down; remainder have some branches and leaves blown off.