groundburst
Impact-level blast
A groundburst is an explosion that occurs at or near ground level, as opposed to an airburst detonated at altitude.
The term appears most often in military and nuclear contexts, where the distinction matters: groundbursts create craters and throw up debris but affect a smaller area, while airbursts maximize blast radius.
The bomb was configured for groundburst to destroy the bunker.
Explosive ignition event
- fireballLuminous meteor or explosion
- craterImpact or volcanic basin
- shockwavePropagating pressure disturbance
- falloutPost-blast atmospheric particles
radiation · blast · fission · megaton · kiloton · contamination · plume · atomic
Impact or volcanic basin
- meteoriteSpace debris reaching Earth
- collisionForceful contact between objects
- shockwavePropagating pressure disturbance
- ejectaMaterial forcibly discharged
breccia · fragmentation · penetration · velocity · bolide · debris · displacement · excavation
Military weapons collectively
- shrapnelScattered explosion fragments
- artilleryLarge-caliber battlefield weapons
- munitionMilitary weapon or projectile
- warheadMunition's explosive section
mortar · howitzer · bomb · fragmentation · tactical · penetrator · demolition · bombardment
Involuntary rhythmic shaking
- shockwavePropagating pressure disturbance
- vibrationRapid oscillating movement
- magnitudeSize or scale
- epicenterPoint above seismic origin
seismograph · subsidence · displacement · cratering · concussion
detonation
Explosive ignition event
- fireballLuminous meteor or explosion
- craterImpact or volcanic basin
- shockwavePropagating pressure disturbance
fallout · radiation · blast · fission · megaton · kiloton · contamination · plume · atomic · thermonuclear
crater
Impact or volcanic basin
- meteoriteSpace debris reaching Earth
- collisionForceful contact between objects
- shockwavePropagating pressure disturbance
ejecta · breccia · fragmentation · penetration · velocity · bolide · debris · displacement · excavation · compression
ordnance
Military weapons collectively
- shrapnelScattered explosion fragments
- artilleryLarge-caliber battlefield weapons
- munitionMilitary weapon or projectile
warhead · mortar · howitzer · bomb · fragmentation · tactical · penetrator · demolition · bombardment · shell
tremor
Involuntary rhythmic shaking
epicenter · seismograph · subsidence · displacement · cratering · concussion