Hello and welcome back to Life’s Biggest Questions, I’m Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey.
Well, North Korea is at it again, this time claiming to have successfully tested a hydrogen
bomb that could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM.
If this is true, it’s certainly a matter of concern for leaders around the world; with
nuclear weapons mounted on long-range missiles, North Korea becomes significantly more dangerous.
How much more?
Let’s discuss.
Throw on your hazmat suit, it’s time to answer the question: How much damage can a
hydrogen bomb do?
Hydrogen bombs, otherwise known as thermonuclear bombs, are incredibly powerful, much more
so than atomic nuclear weapons.
The first test of an h-bomb was done in the United States, which produced an explosion
the equivalent of 10,400 kilotonnes of TNT.
To put this in perspective, this is over 450 times more powerful than Fat Man, the bomb
dropped on Nagasaki in 1945.
Needless to say, Hydrogen bombs are a force to be reckoned with.
What makes Hydrogen bombs different from atomic bombs?
Well, while both involve a nuclear reaction, the reaction within is rather different.
Atomic bombs rely solely on nuclear fission, splitting one atom into two smaller ones to
create energy.
Hydrogen bombs, on the other hand, mainly utilize fusion to create power, merging multiple
atoms into a large one, similar to how stars form, with fission being used to set the reaction
off.
This allows for much more compact warheads, which in turn makes it easier to mount hydrogen
bombs onto ICBMs.
Since North Korea’s biggest technological issue was finding a way to mount their nukes
onto ICBMs, this development makes it much more likely that they will find a way, and
suddenly have the capacity to launch nuclear weapons much greater distances.
Just how much damage can they do with these bombs?
Well, as stated earlier, some of the most powerful h-bombs have yielded tens of thousands
of kilottones.
The most powerful was the Tsar Bomba, an h-bomb made by the Soviets that yielded a whopping
50 megatons, or 50,000 kilotons, worth of TNT.
This would be enough to wipe whole cities off the map.
However, the bombs we’re seeing out of North Korea are significantly less powerful than
these super destructive bombs.
In terms of this bomb in particular, there is a bit that we know.
North Korea has issued statements on it, but it should be noted that these must be taken
with heaping spoonfuls of salt; North Korea is known to have a bark worse than their bite.
It’s claimed that their h-bomb produced roughly 100 kilotons, which is 10 times stronger
than the test from last year.
This is enough to create a fireball 1km in diameter, with a thermal radiation radius
of 3.9km.
If detonated in a major city, the death toll could reach the tens or even hundreds of thousands,
with just a single bomb.
North Korea also claims that this bomb has the capability to be detonated at high altitudes,
allowing it to be used to send out electromagnetic pulses, or EMPs, to take out power and communications
in a certain area.
If true, this could be used in conjunction with other weapons to incredible, and devastating,
effect.
Perhaps the most terrifying implication of this is that this is just the beginning.
Considering just how powerful hydrogen bombs can be, it’s very possible that North Korea
could develop bombs that yield 10s of thousands of kilotons of power in the next decade.
Should this become a reality, it would be difficult for governments around the world
to ignore the threat from North Korea.
But one big question remains on everyone’s minds: do they really have this stuff?
North Korea is rather well-known for their propaganda and liberal use of… alternative
facts.
The miniaturization of a nuclear warhead is something North Korea has been struggling
with for some time.
Considering how behind the times the country has been technologically, there’s a rather
significant chance that this talk of a hydrogen bomb mounted on an ICBM is simply that; talk.
With Donald Trump, current president of the United States, launching threats and baiting
North Korea, it’s certainly possible that this is just an empty threat on the part of
North Korea.
But nothing is certain, and with the safety of the world depending on it, assumptions
can be a dangerous thing.
So now we return to our question: How much damage can a hydrogen bomb do?
If we’re looking throughout history and across the globe, things look rather dire.
Hydrogen bombs can deal absurd amounts of damage in a single blast; one well-aimed strike
could take out just about all of Manhattan.
However, North Korea doesn’t have access to weapons of this magnitude, with all evidence
pointing to bombs that yield roughly 100 kilotonnes.
While that isn’t enough to level a major city, the casualties would certainly be high,
possibly in the hundreds of thousands.
That is, if they even HAVE these weapons.
However, in the years to come, we will need to remain vigilant, in case technological
advances allow them to increase their power even further.
Thank you for watching life’s Biggest Questions.
I hope this was interesting and informative, and perhaps led you to look into it further
on your own.
If you enjoyed this video, please like and subscribe to the channel down below.
And heck, while you’re down there, let me know what you think about North Korea.
Do they have these weapons, or are they just trying to fool us all?
I look forward to reading your thoughts.
Until next time, I’m Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey with Life’s Biggest Questions, wishing you
the best of luck, on your quest for answers.