TEN BIGGEST BANGS ON EARTH
Seattle Kingdome demolition
When: 26 March 2000
Holding up to 66,000 sports fans in its 19.821 million m3 capacity, this stadium became the largest building to be demolished by explosives when it was destroyed in 2000.
Chicxulub Impact
When: 65 million years ago
The chicxulub crater in mexico, a staggering 180km wide, was created when a 10km-wide meteorite crashed into earth. the impact is believed to have been a major contributing factor in the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Heligoland explosion
When: 18 April 1947
The royal navy tried – and failed – to blow up a whole north sea island and the huge German naval base it carried by detonating around 4,000 tonnes of explosives, one of the world’s biggestever single detonations. Despite that, the island remained intact.
Mt Toba
When: 75,000 years ago
When the supervolcano mt toba erupted, it launched at least 2,800km3 of magma and ash into the atmosphere, causing a six-year volcanic winter and possibly kick-starting an ice age. the resulting crater holds the world’s largest volcanic lake.
Mont Blanc
When: 6 december 1917
This french ship was carrying over 2,400 tonnes of explosives when it collided with another vessel off the coast of nova scotia, canada. the mont Blanc was approaching Halifax when the resulting fire caused a massive explosion, levelling 2.5km2 of the town and shattering windows 100km away.
Nedelin Catastrophe
When: 24 October 1960
A russian r-16 intercontinental ballistic missile was being tested when it burst into flames on its launchpad at the Baikonur test range – igniting its tanks that were filled with a toxic fuel mixture called Devil’s Venom, and creating a fireball that killed dozens of people.
Buncefield Complex
When: 11 december 2005
The explosion caused when the first of 20 tanks in Britain’s fifth-largest oil storage depot blew up was heard 200km away. the British Geological survey measured the event at 2.4 on the richter scale.
MOAB
When: 11 March 2003
The usA claims that its massive ordnance Air Burst (Moab) device, containing 9 tonnes of explosive material, is the biggest non-nuclear bomb in the world. the first test detonation occurred in 2003; it is yet to be used in combat, but could destroy tanks and buildings within a radius of several hundred metres.
AN602 ‘Tsar Bomba’
When: 30 October 1961
This russian 58-megatonne nuclear weapon, the most powerful ever detonated, was tested over the Arctic. it exploded with more than 4,800 times the energy of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima; the shockwaves travelled around the world three times.
Univers i, part ii
When: 15 July 1988
The world’s largest firecracker burst over Hokkaido, Japan during the 1988 lake toya firework festival. the 700kg shell was moved into position on a floating platform before being ignited, creating a five-colour pyrotechnic display 1.2km across.
When: 26 March 2000
Holding up to 66,000 sports fans in its 19.821 million m3 capacity, this stadium became the largest building to be demolished by explosives when it was destroyed in 2000.
Chicxulub Impact
When: 65 million years ago
The chicxulub crater in mexico, a staggering 180km wide, was created when a 10km-wide meteorite crashed into earth. the impact is believed to have been a major contributing factor in the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Heligoland explosion
When: 18 April 1947
The royal navy tried – and failed – to blow up a whole north sea island and the huge German naval base it carried by detonating around 4,000 tonnes of explosives, one of the world’s biggestever single detonations. Despite that, the island remained intact.
Mt Toba
When: 75,000 years ago
When the supervolcano mt toba erupted, it launched at least 2,800km3 of magma and ash into the atmosphere, causing a six-year volcanic winter and possibly kick-starting an ice age. the resulting crater holds the world’s largest volcanic lake.
Mont Blanc
When: 6 december 1917
This french ship was carrying over 2,400 tonnes of explosives when it collided with another vessel off the coast of nova scotia, canada. the mont Blanc was approaching Halifax when the resulting fire caused a massive explosion, levelling 2.5km2 of the town and shattering windows 100km away.
Nedelin Catastrophe
When: 24 October 1960
A russian r-16 intercontinental ballistic missile was being tested when it burst into flames on its launchpad at the Baikonur test range – igniting its tanks that were filled with a toxic fuel mixture called Devil’s Venom, and creating a fireball that killed dozens of people.
Buncefield Complex
When: 11 december 2005
The explosion caused when the first of 20 tanks in Britain’s fifth-largest oil storage depot blew up was heard 200km away. the British Geological survey measured the event at 2.4 on the richter scale.
MOAB
When: 11 March 2003
The usA claims that its massive ordnance Air Burst (Moab) device, containing 9 tonnes of explosive material, is the biggest non-nuclear bomb in the world. the first test detonation occurred in 2003; it is yet to be used in combat, but could destroy tanks and buildings within a radius of several hundred metres.
AN602 ‘Tsar Bomba’
When: 30 October 1961
This russian 58-megatonne nuclear weapon, the most powerful ever detonated, was tested over the Arctic. it exploded with more than 4,800 times the energy of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima; the shockwaves travelled around the world three times.
Univers i, part ii
When: 15 July 1988
The world’s largest firecracker burst over Hokkaido, Japan during the 1988 lake toya firework festival. the 700kg shell was moved into position on a floating platform before being ignited, creating a five-colour pyrotechnic display 1.2km across.
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