# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/21 "2008-04-07T03:43:28Z")
[QUOTE=Boyo Jim] How big a bomb would you need to destroy the earth? [/QUOTE] Unless you wish to find out in a most definitive manner, you will deposit into my personal bank account ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! ---
**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, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/22 "2008-04-07T03:48:07Z")
[QUOTE=Astroboy14] Unless you wish to find out in a most definitive manner, you will deposit into my personal bank account ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! [/QUOTE] I will not bow to blackmail, even should it cost the life of every human in the universe! Give me liberty or give every one of us death. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/23 "2008-04-07T03:51:13Z")
[QUOTE=Boyo Jim] I will not bow to blackmail, even should it cost the life of every human in the universe! Give me liberty or give every one of us death. [/QUOTE] Er. OK… $900,000? ---
**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, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/24 "2008-04-07T04:01:43Z")
[QUOTE=Astroboy14] Er. OK… $900,000? [/QUOTE] To be more clear… the entire planet and everyone on it is not worth a nickel to me. As far as I’m concerned, when I die so do all the rest of you. I’ll tell you what… I’ll pay you a nickel to blow up the planet. It might be an interesting death. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/25 "2008-04-07T04:04:18Z")
Bah! **sulk** ---
**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, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/26 "2008-04-07T04:08:52Z")
[QUOTE=Astroboy14] Bah! **sulk** [/QUOTE] Don’t be disheartened! There are others wealthier and more interested in their personal survival than me! Find them! Threaten them! ---
**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, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/27 "2008-04-07T04:39:35Z")
[QUOTE=Astroboy14] Unless you wish to find out in a most definitive manner, you will deposit into my personal bank account ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! [/QUOTE] Just a minute… :: fumbles in [change pouch](http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKN0328796820070503) :: ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/28 "2008-04-07T12:59:40Z")
I seem to recall from one of Richard Rhodes’ books that there is an upper limit to the useful power of an H-bomb. Back in the 40’s and 50’s they thought that a sufficiently large bomb might ignite the atmosphere and/or blow up the planet. But then somebody (Teller maybe) figured out that as yield is increased past a certain point you simply lift a larger chunk of atmosphere up into space. I think it was around 100 megatons. Not sure what bearing this has on the current discussion, but it’s interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/29 "2008-04-07T14:21:01Z")
[QUOTE=Boyo Jim] First, let’s define terms. By _destroy_ I mean blow it into chunks that would scatter into the solar system. [/QUOTE] It’s not going to blow apart into _chunks_, because it’s not a solid piece of rock. Exploding it into _blobs_ is about the best thing you could hope for, and even then, I’d WAG that the amount of energy required to blow it into _several separate_ blobs would actually be enough to blow it into lots of little ones, or in other words, I think the margin between _not blowing it apart at all_ and _blowing it into mist_ is probably quite a fine one. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/30 "2008-04-07T14:33:24Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] It’s not going to blow apart into _chunks_, because it’s not a solid piece of rock. Exploding it into _blobs_ is about the best thing you could hope for, and even then, I’d WAG that the amount of energy required to blow it into _several separate_ blobs would actually be enough to blow it into lots of little ones, or in other words, I think the margin between _not blowing it apart at all_ and _blowing it into mist_ is probably quite a fine one. [/QUOTE] I don’t think anyone yet mentioned the placement of such a bomb. Surely exploding it on the surface won’t have as much an effect as deep, really deeep, underground. Like at the center, maybe. ---
**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, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/31 "2008-04-07T14:38:34Z")
Dudes, you do realize that the FBI, the CIA, and the Department of Homeland Security are now tracking each and every one of you, right? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/32 "2008-04-07T14:45:59Z")
[QUOTE=JThunder] Dudes, you do realize that the FBI, the CIA, and the Department of Homeland Security are now tracking each and every one of you, right? [/QUOTE] Too late, **JThunder** realizes that he, too, is now under surveillance… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/33 "2008-04-07T15:13:58Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Just a minute… :: fumbles in [change pouch](http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKN0328796820070503) :: [/QUOTE] That’s a BIG coin! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/34 "2008-04-07T15:28:58Z")
[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. [/QUOTE] In another thread, you copped to doing 100 things worse than something terrible you were accused of. People said they didn’t evenwant to know what those might be. I think you’ve just let us in on one of them. Of course, if you really wanted to be an asshole, you’d hurl Uranus towards the Earth. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/35 "2008-04-07T17:00:43Z")
According to the card game Nuclear War, all it takes is a Saturn missile carrying a 100 megaton warhead, and having the spinner land on “Explodes a nuclear stockpile! Triple the yield.” ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/36 "2008-04-07T18:47:32Z")
[QUOTE=Astroboy14] Unless you wish to find out in a most definitive manner, you will deposit into my personal bank account ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! [/QUOTE] Despite the proven theuraputic properties of maniacal laughter, you should probably not do it. You might miss something important. ---
**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, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/37 "2008-04-07T21:14:52Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] It’s not going to blow apart into _chunks_, because it’s not a solid piece of rock. Exploding it into _blobs_ is about the best thing you could hope for, and even then, I’d WAG that the amount of energy required to blow it into _several separate_ blobs would actually be enough to blow it into lots of little ones, or in other words, I think the margin between _not blowing it apart at all_ and _blowing it into mist_ is probably quite a fine one. [/QUOTE] I think you’re parsing this too closely. If you blow up a million rocks and shatter them into a billions smaller rocks, you still got rock chunks. And I think it would take less energy to blow big rocks into smaller ones than it would to make a mist of dribbly molten rock. I’m not looking to blow the planet into vapor – chunks will do. Plus, if over time gravity pulls it back together into a roughly earth sized mass, that’s okay too. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/38 "2008-04-07T22:08:42Z")
Just wait for the Vogons to arrive, they’ll do it quite handily… ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/39 "2008-04-07T22:26:27Z")
[QUOTE=Boyo Jim] Plus, if over time gravity pulls it back together into a roughly earth sized mass, that’s okay too. [/QUOTE] Yah, I really think the “How to destroy the Earth” webpage is too hard-care on this. If the Earth is blown into a large number of substantially smaller chunks, then even if they re-coalesce into a planetary body of similar mass, it’s hard to argue that this is “Earth” in any meaningful sense. The biosphere is gone, all the geographical features are gone, mass that was previously at the core of the planet may now be on the outside, or vice-versa - it’s a whole new jumble. Saying this new planetary body is “Earth” would be like saying that, when I die, any worms and whatnot that eat my corpse, and remain nearby, constitute “the body of Mr. Excellent”, because much of my mass will eventually be consumed by them. Nonsense, of course. So, what sort of energy requirement are we talking about if we no longer care about the debris re-coalescing? ---
**Author:** ![Algorithm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/algorithm/32/12204_2.png) [@Algorithm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algorithm)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245/40 "2008-04-07T22:31:34Z")
1. Back in the 1920’s, someone pointed a 1970’s style “death ray” at the Yap Trench on 5 distinct occasions, for a duration of 4 minutes each time. 2. Their intent was to destroy the earth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-a-bomb-would-you-need-to-destroy-the-earth/444245.md?page=1)