What happens to most debris from a nuclear weapons test?

After a nuclear explosion, debris and soil can mix with radionuclides. This mixture is sent up into the air and then falls back to Earth. Since the conclusion of the weapons testing in the 1980s, radionuclides in the atmosphere have largely decayed away. …

How much devastation would a nuclear bomb cause?

1 A single nuclear weapon can destroy a city and kill most of its people. Several nuclear explosions over modern cities would kill tens of millions of people. Casualties from a major nuclear war between the US and Russia would reach hundreds of millions.

What happens to the fallout from nuclear weapons testing?

This mixture is sent up into the air and then falls back to Earth. It is called fallout and it typically contains hundreds of different radionuclides. Since the conclusion of the weapons testing in the 1980s, radionuclides in the atmosphere have largely decayed away.

Is there still radiation from nuclear weapons testing?

Since the end of above-ground nuclear weapons testing, the day-to-day radiation in air readings from monitoring sites has fallen. For many years, analysis of air samples has shown risk levels far below regulatory limits. In fact, results are now generally below-levels that instruments can detect.

How many miles does it take for a nuclear bomb to explode?

Since the conclusion of the weapons testing in the 1980s, radionuclides in the atmosphere have largely decayed away. Detonating nuclear weapons above ground sends radioactive materials as high as 50 miles into the atmosphere.

What happens to radionuclides after a nuclear explosion?

After a nuclear explosion, debris and soil can mix with radionuclides. This mixture is sent up into the air and then falls back to Earth. It is called fallout and it typically contains hundreds of different radionuclides. Since the conclusion of the weapons testing in the 1980s, radionuclides in the atmosphere have largely decayed away.