groundbursts
Blasts at earth
Groundbursts are explosions that occur at or near ground level, as opposed to airbursts detonated at altitude.
The term appears most often in discussions of nuclear weapons, where the distinction matters: groundbursts create more fallout and cratering but less widespread blast damage than airbursts.
The attack plan called for groundbursts on hardened military targets.
Explosive ignition event
- explosionViolent burst of energy
- blastSudden forceful burst
- falloutPost-blast atmospheric particles
- craterImpact or volcanic basin
shockwave · mushroom cloud · radiation · yield · kiloton · megaton · fission · warhead
Hard outer covering
- impactForceful contact or consequence
- mortarGrinding bowl or binder
- bombardmentSustained projectile assault
- craterImpact or volcanic basin
shrapnel · munition · howitzer · ordnance · fuze · high explosive · barrage · salvo
Involuntary rhythmic shaking
- vibrationRapid oscillating movement
- shockwavePropagating pressure disturbance
- detectionAct of finding something
- monitoringOngoing observation of something
seismograph · subsurface · epicenter · magnitude · sensor · geological · earth movement · subsidence
detonation
Explosive ignition event
crater · shockwave · mushroom cloud · radiation · yield · kiloton · megaton · fission · warhead · airburst
shell
Hard outer covering
- impactForceful contact or consequence
- mortarGrinding bowl or binder
- bombardmentSustained projectile assault
crater · shrapnel · munition · howitzer · ordnance · fuze · high explosive · barrage · salvo · fragmentation
tremor
Involuntary rhythmic shaking
- vibrationRapid oscillating movement
- shockwavePropagating pressure disturbance
- detectionAct of finding something
monitoring · seismograph · subsurface · epicenter · magnitude · sensor · geological · earth movement · subsidence · displacement