# So what's this with nuking the oil spill?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-this-with-nuking-the-oil-spill/541682>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 2, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-this-with-nuking-the-oil-spill/541682 "2010-06-02T18:52:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-this-with-nuking-the-oil-spill/541682/1 "2010-06-02T18:52:17Z")

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Blowing the spigot and melting it and its connections and every other damn thing sky high?

I’ve read dribs and drabs on the proposal, but I don’t believe anything till I read it here.

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-this-with-nuking-the-oil-spill/541682/2 "2010-06-02T18:58:11Z")

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Current thread on this issue: [Why not Nuke the oil leak?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=565300)

Same forum and everything.

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-this-with-nuking-the-oil-spill/541682/3 "2010-06-02T19:27:54Z")

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> [@Northern\_Piper](#):
>
> Current thread on this issue: [Why not Nuke the oil leak?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=565300)
> 
> Same forum and everything.

Just saw it. Sorry, and thanx for the heads up.

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**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-this-with-nuking-the-oil-spill/541682/4 "2010-06-02T21:33:42Z")

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The Russians did it routinely and successfully until the 60’s arms treaty. I doubt it would sell as a solution today until the situation is much worse.

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-this-with-nuking-the-oil-spill/541682/5 "2010-06-03T00:02:21Z")

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> [@Al\_Bundy](#):
>
> The Russians did it routinely and successfully until the 60’s arms treaty. I doubt it would sell as a solution today until the situation is much worse.

They did it with gas wells on dry land. Nobody’s tried nuking an oil well a mile under water.

In any case, the time it would take to drill a new hole next to the leak and put a bomb in it is greater than the time it will take to finish the relief wells that are being drilled now.