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Author Topic: Meteorite impact in Africa, or maybe truck went BOOM!  (Read 1645 times)

WLJ

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Meteorite impact in Africa, or maybe truck went BOOM!
« on: April 17, 2020, 01:18:03 PM »
Boom!

Meteorite blast in Akure: Governor Akeredolu visits scene
https://nigeriaworld.com/news/source/2020/mar/28/903.html

Meteor or bomb? Explosion destroys over 100 houses in Akure
https://www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2020/03/28/meteor-or-bomb-explosion-destroys-over-100-houses-in-akure/

Meteor Impact Leaves Giant Crater in Africa, Creates Ejecta Blast Zone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuAzd0yPLfo
« Last Edit: April 17, 2020, 10:38:50 PM by WLJ »
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RoadKingLarry

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Re: Meteor impact in Africa
« Reply #1 on: April 17, 2020, 01:21:04 PM »
Hope springs eternal.
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BobR

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Re: Meteor impact in Africa
« Reply #2 on: April 17, 2020, 01:45:12 PM »
Quote from: RoadKingLarry on April 17, 2020, 01:21:04 PM
Hope springs eternal.

You can only hope that was a ranging shot!  ;)

bob
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MechAg94

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Re: Meteorite impact in Africa
« Reply #3 on: April 17, 2020, 02:13:16 PM »
Quote from: WLJ on April 17, 2020, 01:18:03 PM
Meteor Impact Leaves Giant Crater in Africa, Creates Ejecta Blast Zone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuAzd0yPLfo
That guy should read a little slower, I can't keep up.   ;/
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MechAg94

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Re: Meteorite impact in Africa
« Reply #4 on: April 17, 2020, 02:15:51 PM »
So how do you tell it wasn't a bomb?  Is it just looking for explosive residue?  Would you expect to find identifiable meteor fragments in and around the crater?

When can we expect to some Nigerians develop superpowers?
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Northwoods

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Re: Meteorite impact in Africa
« Reply #5 on: April 17, 2020, 03:00:15 PM »
From a quick look at meteor and truck bomb craters on Google that looks a lot more like the truck bomb images to me.  It's centered just off the shoulder of the road.  My guess is a truck with a large amount of explosives either crashed and blew up, or the pulled off the road for whatever reason and it blew up, probably unintentionally.  If that village is on the route used by mining companies that would up the odds of it being explosives rather than a meteor.
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Brad Johnson

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Re: Meteorite impact in Africa
« Reply #6 on: April 17, 2020, 03:43:10 PM »
According to this follow-up story, it was a truck carrying explosives.

https://allafrica.com/stories/202004020301.html

From the story, it looks like something ignited in the payload and it got hot enough to self-initiate the explosion. If it was ammonium nitrate, which is used a lot in mining, any heat at all can destabilize it enough to go boom. Ask the folks in West, TX.

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K Frame

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Re: Meteorite impact in Africa
« Reply #7 on: April 17, 2020, 10:02:22 PM »
"Ask the folks in West, TX."

Which is now scattered all over East Texas.
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Jim147

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Re: Meteorite impact in Africa
« Reply #8 on: April 17, 2020, 10:09:53 PM »
Here's hoping the bugs will throw a big one at us.
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230RN

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Re: Meteorite impact in Africa
« Reply #9 on: April 17, 2020, 10:36:45 PM »
Quote from: Mike Irwin on April 17, 2020, 10:02:22 PM
"Ask the folks in West, TX."

Which is now scattered all over East Texas.

I have a sneakin' hunch that far too many people think AN isn't explosive unless you mix it with FO.
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kgbsquirrel

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Re: Meteorite impact in Africa
« Reply #10 on: April 17, 2020, 10:48:02 PM »
Quote from: 230RN on April 17, 2020, 10:36:45 PM
I have a sneakin' hunch that far too many people think AN isn't explosive unless you mix it with FO.

Pepcon.  8 kilotons.
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Northwoods

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Re: Meteorite impact in Africa
« Reply #11 on: April 17, 2020, 10:51:55 PM »
Quote from: kgbsquirrel on April 17, 2020, 10:48:02 PM
Pepcon.  8 kilotons.

Wasn't that ammonium perchlorate?
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Nick1911

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Re: Meteorite impact in Africa
« Reply #12 on: April 17, 2020, 10:56:35 PM »
Quote from: 230RN on April 17, 2020, 10:36:45 PM
I have a sneakin' hunch that far too many people think AN isn't explosive unless you mix it with FO.

I recall a story about a chemical company long ago having a big pile of AN that got wet and solidified, and used explosives (!!!) to break it up.  The engineers calculated that it should be okay, and I think made test runs.  It ended poorly.

Edited to add:
Found it: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2017/03/03/how-not-to-do-it-breaking-up-ammonium-nitrate
Also, it was a mixed pile of ammonia salts, not pure AN
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230RN

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Re: Meteorite impact in Africa
« Reply #13 on: April 18, 2020, 12:04:32 AM »
Quote from: sumpnz on April 17, 2020, 10:51:55 PM
Wasn't that ammonium perchlorate?

Yes.  But pure AN does go off.  There was one where a big outdoor pile of it got hit by lightning and started to burn, and when it got vigorous enough, the whole pile decomposed at a high energy per time rate.

« Last Edit: April 18, 2020, 12:57:23 AM by 230RN »
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Fly320s

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Re: Meteorite impact in Africa
« Reply #14 on: April 18, 2020, 06:44:54 AM »
Quote from: 230RN on April 17, 2020, 10:36:45 PM
I have a sneakin' hunch that far too many people think AN isn't explosive unless you mix it with FO.

That would be me.  I'm not a chemist or explosives engineer or even seeking revenge against the government for the Waco seige.
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kgbsquirrel

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Re: Meteorite impact in Africa
« Reply #15 on: April 18, 2020, 09:15:13 AM »
Quote from: kgbsquirrel on April 17, 2020, 10:48:02 PM
Pepcon.  8 kilotons.

Slight correction after reviewing stuff: about 8,000 ~4,200 tons of oxidizers on hand, but the lower RE factor of the materials means it has a TNT equivalent of 1,000 tons, or one kiloton.  Bigger than some small tactical nukes.
« Last Edit: April 18, 2020, 10:46:15 AM by kgbsquirrel »
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kgbsquirrel

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Re: Meteorite impact in Africa
« Reply #16 on: April 18, 2020, 09:18:26 AM »
Quote from: sumpnz on April 17, 2020, 10:51:55 PM
Wasn't that ammonium perchlorate?

Yup, you're right.
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lee n. field

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Re: Meteorite impact in Africa
« Reply #17 on: April 18, 2020, 10:43:24 AM »
Quote from: Nick1911 on April 17, 2020, 10:56:35 PM
I recall a story about a chemical company long ago having a big pile of AN that got wet and solidified, and used explosives (!!!) to break it up.  The engineers calculated that it should be okay, and I think made test runs.  It ended poorly.

Edited to add:
Found it: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2017/03/03/how-not-to-do-it-breaking-up-ammonium-nitrate
Also, it was a mixed pile of ammonia salts, not pure AN

In the comments
Quote
   Anon says:   
3 March, 2017 at 12:48 pm   

Meanwhile next door they were breaking up solid piles of dynamite with ammonium nitrate as explosive…
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