Ground zero

Ground zero is the exact location on the ground marking the detonation point of any bomb; in the case of a bomb designed to explode in the air, it refers to the point on the ground directly below the bomb at the moment of detonation.

Related Topics:
Detonation - Bomb - Explode

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Since it is the impact point for the bomb, it is, of course, the point of highest damage. Around that spot are drawn concentric circles showing how far out from the impact point the damage is.

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The term has chiefly come to be associated with nuclear explosions, but is also used for earthquakes, epidemics and other disasters.

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It was military slang—used at the Trinity site where the weapon tower for the first nuclear weapon was at point 'zero'—and moved into general use very shortly after the end of World War II (see Manhattan Project).

Related Topics:
Trinity site - Nuclear weapon - World War II - Manhattan Project

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