# How big a bomb would you need to destroy the earth? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245 "2008-04-06T23:08:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/1 "2008-04-06T23:08:10Z")
First, let’s define terms. By _destroy_ I mean blow it into chunks that would scatter into the solar system. So were not talking about some pansy-ass “kill all humans” or “render the planet unfit for life” bomb. And by _big_, I supposed we need to talk the measurements of nukes – megatons, gigatons, and I don’t know the terminology for the higher-up measures, which will probably be needed for an answer. Oh, and boiling the earth away by making the sun explode or go nova or something doesn’t count. Mods, please be reassured. I have no actual plans to destroy the earth. But I do suggest that if I or anyone else asks for plans on how such a bomb can be built, that thread should be closed promptly. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2008, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/2 "2008-04-06T23:20:35Z")
Far larger than anything we’ve ever built. All your questions are answered [here](http://qntm.org/?destroy), and especially [here](http://qntm.org/?destroy#sec4). > [@](#): > > All the explosives mankind has ever created, nuclear or non-, gathered together and detonated simultaneously, would make a significant crater and wreck the planet’s ecosystem, but barely scratch the surface of the planet. There is evidence that in the past, asteroids have hit the Earth with the explosive yield of five billion Hiroshima bombs - and such evidence is _difficult to find_. It is, in short, insanely difficult to significantly alter the Earth’s structure with explosives. This is not to mention the gravity problem. Just because you blasted the Earth apart doesn’t mean you blasted it apart for good. If you don’t blast it hard enough, the pieces will fall back together again under mutual gravitational attraction, and Earth, like the liquid metal Terminator, will reform from its shattered shards. You have to blow the Earth up hard enough to overcome that attraction. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2008, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/3 "2008-04-06T23:29:04Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Far larger than anything we’ve ever built. All your questions are answered [here](http://qntm.org/?destroy), and especially [here](http://qntm.org/?destroy#sec4). [/QUOTE] That’s cool! When I was a kid I was scared shitless by the cold war meme that we had enough explosives to crack the earth in half. I’ve know for awhile that it wasn’t true, but it’s still cool talking about it hypothetically. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/4 "2008-04-06T23:30:03Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Far larger than anything we’ve ever built. All your questions are answered [here](http://qntm.org/?destroy), and especially [here](http://qntm.org/?destroy#sec4). [/QUOTE] Well, that tells me how much energy WON’T destroy the earth. I do kind of like the neutronium and anti-neutronium slugs fired to met at the center of the earth. I’m gonna have to read that Greg Bear book. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/5 "2008-04-06T23:39:37Z")
Well, we can calculate the energy that it would take to launch a given chunk of mass with escape velocity. To blow it into bits that would ‘scatter into the solar system’, pretty the entire mass of the earth would have to reach escape velocity, otherwise most of the remains would clump back together. With escape velocity of 11 km/s, and a mass of 6x10^24 kg, the kinetic energy is given by: .5 \* 6x10^24 kg \* (11x10^3 m/s)^2 = 3.6x10^32 J A one megaton bomb releases 4.2x10^15 J of energy. To a first approximation, you’d need a 10^17 megaton bomb to blow the earth to tiny pieces – that’s one hundred million billion megatons. Also, you’d probably need even more energy to break up all of the solid pieces of the earth. (All values taken from Wikipedia. Consult an expert for any actual planet destroying purposes.) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2008, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/6 "2008-04-06T23:56:18Z")
[QUOTE=Boyo Jim] Well, that tells me how much energy WON’T destroy the earth. I do kind of like the neutronium and anti-neutronium slugs fired to met at the center of the earth. I’m gonna have to read that Greg Bear book. [/QUOTE] Well, the web page does mention using 25\*10[sup]12[/sup] tonnes of antimatter. Combine that with an equal amount of matter, and convert it to energy at the centre of the earth, and that should be enough to disrupt the planet (according to the web page). So…50_10[sup]12[/sup] tonnes of total mass to be annihilated (converted to energy) = 50_10[sup]15[/sup] kg. Using E = mc[sup]2[/sup], we have E = 50_10[sup]15[/sup] kg \* (3_10[sup]8[/sup]m/s)[sup]2[/sup] = 50_10[sup]15[/sup] kg \* 9_10[sup]16[/sup] m[sup]2[/sup]/s[sup]2[/sup] = 450_10[sup]31[/sup] kg·m[sup]2[/sup]/s[sup]2[/sup] = 450_10[sup]31[/sup] J = 450_10[sup]31[/sup] J / 4.1844_10[sup]9[/sup] J/megaton (energy) = 107.5\*10[sup]22[/sup] megatons (energy) ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/7 "2008-04-06T23:57:22Z")
:: sits quietly in back of room, notepad in hand:: ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/8 "2008-04-07T00:06:08Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] :: sits quietly in back of room, notepad in hand:: [/QUOTE] _notifies [del]The Keystone Kops[/del] Homeland Security_ ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/9 "2008-04-07T00:09:13Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] _notifies [del]The Keystone Kops[/del] Homeland Security_ [/QUOTE] There is no evidence connecting me to any any world-destruction plots. I am offended by the suggestion, and your veiled accusations will not go unnoticed. Not that I’m planning on releasing thousands of mutant fire ants on you or anything like that. I’m just saying. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/10 "2008-04-07T00:34:36Z")
Not a bomb, but if you’ve been _really_ good, the [Large Hadron Collider just _might_ destroy the Earth.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=428308) ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/11 "2008-04-07T01:53:17Z")
What? Ten whole posts and no mention of the [Illudium 238 Space Modulator…?](http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/files/2007/12/illudium.jpg)😃 ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/12 "2008-04-07T01:54:06Z")
Bomb, schmomb. I’ve been trying to convince the Science Council that the Earth is going to explode on its own. The fools refuse to listen. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/13 "2008-04-07T02:10:57Z")
Us I understand it, about 4.5 billion years ago we got hit by an object the size of Mars, and all we got out of it was a Moon - not scattered across the solar system in bits. Kinda hard to imagine anything much less than the sun going nova that would really get the job done. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/14 "2008-04-07T02:18:27Z")
When I was about 10, my brother and I took 5 M-80’s and put them in a small hole with the intent of destroying the earth. It didn’t work work. You need something stronger than that. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/15 "2008-04-07T02:26:33Z")
If “Battlefield: Earth” wasn’t a big enough bomb, I don’t think such a thing can exist. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/16 "2008-04-07T02:56:48Z")
[QUOTE=Count Blucher] What? Ten whole posts and no mention of the [Illudium 238 Space Modulator…?](http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/files/2007/12/illudium.jpg)😃 [/QUOTE] That’s the [Illudium Q-38 _Explosive_ Space Modulator](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051701/usercomments) to you… ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/17 "2008-04-07T03:04:03Z")
[QUOTE=lazybratsche] To a first approximation, you’d need a 10^17 megaton bomb to blow the earth to tiny pieces – that’s one hundred million billion megatons. [/QUOTE] By my figuring that’s about…100 exatons. (An exaton is 1000 petatons. A petaton is 1000 teratons. A teraton is 1000 gigatons. A gigaton is 1000 megatons.) ::pause:: ::[ghoulish, slavering laughter](http://thepchb.blogspot.com/2007/10/three-looney-takes-on-jekyll-and-hyde.html):: ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/18 "2008-04-07T03:05:04Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] That’s the [Illudium Q-38 _Explosive_ Space Modulator](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051701/usercomments) to you… [/QUOTE] [Third try’s the charm](http://www.tvacres.com/weapons_ammunition_uranium.htm). 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/19 "2008-04-07T03:17:26Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] [Third try’s the charm](http://www.tvacres.com/weapons_ammunition_uranium.htm). 😛 [/QUOTE] Obviously there are a number of developmental variants and experimental versions around. [sub]Yeah, that’s it.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/20 "2008-04-07T03:19:14Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] When I was about 10, my brother and I took 5 M-80’s and put them in a small hole with the intent of destroying the earth. It didn’t work work. You need something stronger than that. [/QUOTE] Ok, I will take that as indeterminately below the minimum. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245.md?page=2)