The shape of mushroom cloud appeared Blast in Beirut, Lebanese capital on 4th August 2020 has some similarities with the shape of the mushroom cloud of atomic explosions. But it is clear that the Beirut explosion is not a nuclear explosion.
I would like to discuss the differences and similarities of mushroom clouds of atomic explosions and other Chemical Explosions.
The power of explosion in Beirut is comparable to the largest detonation of a non-nuclear explosive that occurred in Halifax on December 6, 1917:
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“On 6 December 1917, SS Imo and SS Mont-Blanc collided in the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Mont-Blanc carried 2,653 tonnes of various explosives, mostly picric acid. After the collision the ship caught fire, drifted into town, and exploded. 1,950 people were killed and much of Halifax was destroyed. An evaluation of the explosion's force puts it at 2.9 kilotons of TNT (12 TJ).”
>>End Quote
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_artificial_non-nuclear_explosions
The cloud that was created in a few second after the event is often described as an Explosion Pyrocumulus cloud.
It is very likely that the Beirut blast was even more powerful than the Halifax disaster. The structure of the cloud, however, is very different as shown in the photographs published in the media. The main characteristic of Beirut blast is a shock wave in the form of a spheroidal wall with height of 200 m propagating horizontally very close to the ground. The expansion in the vertical direction is only visible after the initial stage and is quickly suppressed after reaching heights of the order of 1000 m (according to my subjective analysis with very limited data).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushroom_cloud
In both cases (Halifax and Beirut explosions), the scale of the mushroom clouds is not even comparable to the mushroom clouds produced by nuclear explosions. I would like to add to this comparison a spectacular clouds produced by volcanic eruptions which, in many cases, eclipse even the most powerful man-made blasts.
I follow, Dear Profs. A. G. Piyal Aravinna and Janusz Pudykiewicz.
The blast has a similar amount of yield as the AIR-2 (MB-1) unguided air-to-air rocket with a 1.5 kt nuclear warhead [1].
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon_yield
I unquote the following [2]:
"...On 4 August 2020, an explosion in a warehouse allegedly containing 2,750 tonnes (3031 US ton) of ammonium nitrate occurred at the Port of Beirut in Lebanon. The explosion generated a shock-wave that was felt more than 240 kilometres (150 mi) away. Initial estimates of the yield of the explosion ranged from a few hundred tons of TNT equivalent to just under 1/2 kiloton...".
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_artificial_non-nuclear_explosions
Please look at the 2003 test of the GBU-43 MOAB bomb, the most powerful non-nuclear weapon (Blast yield 11 tons TNT or 46 GJ ):
https://youtu.be/HduvOvcBGg0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GBU-43/B_MOAB
The blast in Lebanon is also similar to the Texas city disaster in 1947 [3].
I also unquote the Wikipedia post: "...The 1947 Texas City disaster was an industrial accident that occurred on April 16, 1947, in the Port of Texas City, Texas, at Galveston Bay. It was the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history and one of history's largest non-nuclear explosions. A mid-morning fire started on board the French-registered vessel SS Grandcamp (docked in the port) and detonated her cargo of about 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate....".
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_City_disaster
Dear Prof. Pedro L. Contreras E.
Thank you for your comments.
According to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_artificial_non-nuclear_explosions
“It would require about 250 MOAB blasts to equal the Halifax explosion (2.9 kt)”
In my opinion, the source of the explosion in Beirut reported in the media is consistent with the shape of the shock wave depicted in the photo included in my first answer.
The triggering factor for the Beirut blast was most likely a spark from the construction work. In many ways the scenario was likely very similar to the Texas explosion in 1947 mentioned in your comment, some additional details are discussed in the following site
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fertilizer-explosion-kills-581-in-texas
Thank you so much for addressing the post, Dear Prof. Janusz Pudykiewicz.
The shock wave in Beirut is seen in several videos, most of the crater was covered by water I guess. But the photos I just saw on the Halifax event look that it was much more destructive than the Beirut case.
I checked the Halifax explosion. It was a huge one. The blast was the largest man-made explosion at the time according to Wikipedia, releasing the equivalent energy of roughly 2.9 kilotons of TNT (12,000 Giga Joule).
As you said in the first post, volcanic eruptions are even worse, and gases more lethal.
Dear Pedro L. Contreras E. ,
Thank you for sharing information and joining the discussion.
Thank you so much for allowing us to be part of the thread, Dear Prof. A. G. Piyal Aravinna.
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