leftysergeant
Penultimate Amazing
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2007
- Messages
- 18,863
The explosion of the jet fuel would have been relatively low-powered, compared to an ANFO charge. And, being uncontained, not great pressure would have built up. It would not have appreciably effected the crater, since it was above the surface. There would have been relatively little give to the soil. THe craters that one would associate with an artillery round or bomb dropped from an aircraft would actually penetrate the soil and go off underground, even if only a few inches under, and would be a much more concentrated blast.
Most of the lighter debris would have been airborn by other means at the time of the deflagration of the fuel, and would simply have been wafted to a higher elevation by the air raising with the fireball. Note in the picture of the smoke cloud, the tail seems to drift in at least two different directions because the wind is a little bit layered, blowing in different directions at different altitudes. It was a relatively calm day, so the difference is not too pronounced.
Most of the lighter debris would have been airborn by other means at the time of the deflagration of the fuel, and would simply have been wafted to a higher elevation by the air raising with the fireball. Note in the picture of the smoke cloud, the tail seems to drift in at least two different directions because the wind is a little bit layered, blowing in different directions at different altitudes. It was a relatively calm day, so the difference is not too pronounced.