Just to set the record straight re: nuclear explosions on the Richter scale....
The Richter scale is an open ended logarithmic scale. No earthquake could ever be off such a scale. There is a close relationship between the energy released in an earthquake and the Richter magnitude. The energy released in a magnitude 6.0 earthquake is roughly the same as that released in the explosion of a 1.0 megaton nuclear weapon, the energy released in a magnitude 7.0 earthquake is roughly equal to that released in the explosion of 32 megaton nuclear weapon. The largest recorded earthquake, the 1960 Chilean earthquake, had a Richter magnitude of 9.0 and released roughly 1,000 times as much energy as a 7.0 magnitude quake (1000 is roughly 32 times 32).
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irascibleprofessor.com
Blast at Russian sub site 'on Richter scale'
August 18, 2000
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Ringdal, who said the explosions were measured by seismic stations in several countries, added: “The larger explosion…had a magnitude of 3.5 on the Richter scale, corresponding to about one to two tons of explosive in water. A smaller explosion with a magnitude of 1.5 was recorded from the same location two minutes, 15 seconds earlier."
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edition.cnn.com
THE Middle East has long been a region beset with tension, if not outright warfare. It is ironic, therefore, that a series of underwater explosions set off in the Dead Sea last November may, with the assistance of Lawrence Livermore seismologists, help to reduce tensions in the area and spur cooperative ventures on geophysical-related issues.
Conducted by the Geophysical Institute of Israel, the explosions were cofunded by Israel and the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
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The Israelis detonated three underwater packages of explosives, all at the same location (about 5 kilometers from Israel's Dead Sea shores) and depth (about 70 meters below the water surface). A 500-kilogram explosive was detonated on November 8, 1999, with an approximate magnitude of 2.6 on the Richter scale, and a 2,000-kilogram explosive was detonated on November 10, with an approximate magnitude of 3.5 on the Richter scale.
These first two tests were conducted largely to demonstrate that underwater explosions posed no danger to people, property, or the environment. The main test, a 5,000-kilogram explosive package, was set off on November 11, producing a 9-meter-high fountain of water and an approximate magnitude of 4.0 on the Richter scale. (By comparison, a 1-kiloton nuclear explosion would produce a magnitude in the range of about 4.0 to 4.5 on the Richter scale.)
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llnl.gov
As you can see, a magnitude 6.4 tremor (as recorded by the Jakarta Geophysical Office) is "small beer" by a nuclear explosion's standards....
Gus |
