Reply #19: The only bomb that big... [View All]

...would be something in probably the gigaton range. The biggest bomb ever exploded was 50 megatons, which would, according to Wikipedia, equal the energy output of an 8.35 earthquake.


However, I think to get the full energy of that bomb put into an earthquake the bomb would have to be buried several miles underground before detonation. The 50 Mt bomb got a seismic rating of about 5.5.

You'd need a bomb 10,000 times more powerful going off to get a 9.5 or so. 500 gigatons, which I can't even imagine how many thousands of miles that airborne shock wave would destroy cities.

Hell, the 50 Mt bomb smashed brick houses flat 35 miles away and was breaking windows over 550 miles distant!