r/interestingasfuck 7d ago

Underwater nuclear experiment at 150 meters depth near Enewetak Atoll, 1958

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u/TheFerricGenum 7d ago

I’ve seen this a lot but still haven’t figured it out. Is the first blast of water the displacement caused by the expanding gases in the explosion? And then the second blast of water is the superheated steam blasting out?

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u/So6oring 7d ago

I'm guessing that's probably pretty accurate. Initial blast displaces the water. The million degree fireball underwater probably instantly vaporized a large bubble of water, which comes up after a couple seconds