These maps show how much damage a North Korean thermonuclear weapon could do to major American cities
Shutterstock
To help the public get a handle on nuclear threats, Alex Wellerstein, a historian of science at Stevens Institute of Technology, created Nukemap: an interactive simulator that lets you set off a nuke anywhere on a world map.
A recent update even lets you predict where clouds of radioactive fallout might drift based on current weather.
"A realistic understanding of what nuclear weapons can and can't do is necessary for any discussion that involves them," Wellerstein previously told Business Insider. "People tend to have either wildly exaggerated views of the weapons, or wildly under-appreciate their power."
Given rising public interest in North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile and nuclear test programs, Wellerstein recently added the isolated nation's Sept. 3 underground blast - its most powerful yet - to a list of preset options in Nukemap.
The device may have been a thermonuclear bomb since it yielded an explosion of roughly 150 kilotons' worth of TNT. That's about 10 times as strong as the Hiroshima bomb blast of 1945, which inflicted some 150,000 casualties.
Although a nuclear-tipped North Korean missile couldn't reach most of the continental US (yet), and casualties are notoriously tough to estimate, the images below show what could happen if a 150-kiloton warhead hit major American cities.
We chose the 10 following US cities because they are the most densely populated, and ranked them based on estimated loss of life.
- I quit McKinsey after 1.5 years. I was making over $200k but my mental health was shattered.
- Some Tesla factory workers realized they were laid off when security scanned their badges and sent them back on shuttles, sources say
- I tutor the children of some of Dubai's richest people. One of them paid me $3,000 to do his homework.
- Why are so many elite coaches moving to Western countries?
- Global GDP to face a 19% decline by 2050 due to climate change, study projects
- 5 things to keep in mind before taking a personal loan
- Markets face heavy fluctuations; settle lower taking downtrend to 4th day
- Move over Bollywood, audio shows are starting to enter the coveted ‘100 Crores Club’