What the Aftermath of a Nuclear War With North Korea Would Actually Look Like

Kim Jong Un recently said in his annual New Year’s Day address that “the entire area of the U.S. mainland is within our nuclear strike range,” and that “a nuclear button is always on my desk.” Kim meant this idle threat as an effort to deter the U.S. from ever attacking North Korea.

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However, that made us wonder what would actually happen if the U.S. and North Korea went to nuclear war with one another. What would the aftermath be like? How long would it take to have those places go back to normal? As it turns out, a few researchers actually modeled the effects of what 100 Hiroshima-sized nuclear bombs would have on the planet. Those answers will terrify you.

Week 1: 100 nuclear warheads are detonated

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There would be 5 megatons of black carbon launched into the air in the immediate fallout of a nuclear war with the detonation of 100 nuclear bombs. That black carbon is from everything burning in the combined blast areas. The upper atmosphere of the entire planet will be filled with black carbon by the end of the first week.

Next: The effects are almost immediately felt across the globe.

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