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25 Mt Air Blast: Pressure Damage
Tybee Island, GA
Key:
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12 psi (pounds per square inch)
| Radius: 6.5 miles
[Note: The outside edge of this shaded area represents the 12 psi ring.
Blast pressure within the ring is greater than 12 psi; blast pressure
outside the ring is less than 12 psi.]
The remains of some buildings' foundations are visible. Some of the
strongest buildings -- those made of reinforced, poured concrete -- are
still standing. Ninety-eight percent of the population within this area
are dead. |
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5 psi
| Radius: 10.7 miles
Virtually everything is destroyed between the 12 and 5 psi rings. The
walls of typical multi-story buildings, including apartment buildings,
are completely blown out. As you move from the center toward the 5 psi
ring there are more structural skeletons of buildings standing.
Single-family residences within this this area have been completely
blown away -- only their foundations remain. Fifty percent of the
population between the 12 and 5 psi rings are dead. Forty percent are
injured. |
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2 psi
| Radius: 20 miles
Any single-family residences that are not completely destroyed are
heavily damaged. The windows of office buildings have been blown away,
as have some of their walls. Everything on these buildings' upper
floors, including the people who were working there, are thrown onto the
street. Substantial debris clutters the entire area. Five percent of the
population between the 5 and 2 psi rings are dead. Forty-five percent
are injured. |
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1 psi
| Radius: 30.4 miles
Residences are moderately damaged. Commercial buildings have sustained
minimal damage. Twenty-five percent of the population between the 2 and
1 psi rings are injured, mainly by flying glass and debris. Many others
have been injured from thermal radiation -- the heat generated by the
blast. The remaining seventy-five percent are unhurt. |
NOTE: This information is drawn mainly from "The Effects of Nuclear
War" (Washington: Office of Technology Assessment, Congress of the United
States, 1979). The zones of destruction mapped out on this page are broad
generalizations and do not take into account factors such as weather and
geography.
To find out more about the blast, including other effects of the explosion, go
to Effects
of a Nuclear Explosion.
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