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Massive Explosion Reported at Iran's Fordow Nuclear Facility [plus TXnMA Photo Analysis]
Business Insider Military and Defense ^ | Jan. 28, 2013, 7:03 AM | Robert Johnson

Posted on 01/29/2013 1:35:14 PM PST by TXnMA

Reports of an explosion at Iran's Fordow nuclear facility have surfaced and are being both confirmed and denied by multiple sources.

The Jerusalem Post cites a report by Reza Kahlili that says: “The blast shook facilities within a radius of three miles. Security forces have enforced a no-traffic radius of 15 miles, and the Tehran- Qom highway was shut down for several hours after the blast.” Kahlili's report says the Fordow nuclear facility was severely damaged in an explosion and up to 240 workers trapped inside. The explosion was reportedly confined to the plant, suggesting that if it were an airstrike, it was highly localized. But this possibility is no more or less likely than sabotage, or an accident, assuming the explosion occurred at all.

>SNIP<

Iran's official news agency, says the same thing, with the IRNA, promptly denying the explosion, claiming the news was simply the result of the Western media-fueled "propoganda machine." That might have ended the story there, but The Times of London's Israel correspondent Sheera Frenkel is confirming the incident through her own independent sources: An explosion is believed to have damaged Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility, which is being used to enrich uranium, Israeli intelligence officials have told The Times. Sources in Tel Aviv said yesterday that they thought the explosion happened last week. The Israeli Government is investigating reports that it led to extensive structural damage and 200 workers had been trapped inside. One Israeli official said: “We are still in the preliminary stages of understanding what happened and how significant it is.” He did not know, he added, if the explosion was “sabotage or accident”, and refused to comment on reports that Israeli aircraft were seen near the facility at the time of the explosion.

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: explosion; fordo; fordow; iran; irannuclear; israel; nucleariran; nuclearplantblast; russia; usa
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To: steve86
...yours was a little farther. This is getting kind of like “I want to believe”.

And deeper, too.

If it were not so deep, the waves could have traveled further.

Maybe the depth reading is incorrect?

-PJ

81 posted on 01/29/2013 9:20:48 PM PST by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: lafroste
That’s some pretty damning evidence, but why is the depth reported as 19.2 miles? Any ideas?

Bad reading?

If it weren't really so deep, could those waves have been traveling further than reported?

-PJ

82 posted on 01/29/2013 9:24:17 PM PST by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: nuconvert
"I see no difference"

No difference between the two images?

The sole difference I see is that it looks as if someone dumped soot all around the north entrances...

83 posted on 01/30/2013 12:58:36 AM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias... "Barack": Allah's current ally...)
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To: nascarnation
"I really don’t have a strong opinion on the validity of this whole thing. "

Nor do I...

84 posted on 01/30/2013 1:00:33 AM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias... "Barack": Allah's current ally...)
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To: PA Engineer; Bob

Comparison of the before and after images in #45 shows no change in terrain topography that I could detect.

The sole difference I see is the change in albedo in the area surrounding the north entrances — as if someone blew soot on the whole area.


85 posted on 01/30/2013 1:09:15 AM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias... "Barack": Allah's current ally...)
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To: PA Engineer

Do you have a link to the report of explosions in the roof lighting fixtures?


86 posted on 01/30/2013 1:12:30 AM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias... "Barack": Allah's current ally...)
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To: Cold Heart

Time will tell...


87 posted on 01/30/2013 1:14:21 AM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias... "Barack": Allah's current ally...)
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To: reagandemocrat

Thanks! Still no confirmation that the “after” image is authentic evidence of a post-explosion condition, though...


88 posted on 01/30/2013 1:17:51 AM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias... "Barack": Allah's current ally...)
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To: txhurl; STD; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Marine_Uncle; PA Engineer; Strategerist
"If a partial cause was lithium-ion battery banks, well, let’s just say they ALSO blow up real good, with not a lot of goading.."

IF it WAS a significant explosion, I would expect that, rather than a single high amplitude, sharp impulse, high VOD explosion like a penetrator bomb, big IED or a nuke, it was small "trigger" explosion(s) that set off something(s) already inside the facility, like you mention.

Instead of the sharp P-wave seismic impulse expected from a high-VOD explosion, I would expect a flame front that spread rapidly through the facility, overpressured it, and vented through the reverse-pressured blast door seals with a prolonged, "Whoosh!" that ejected a cloud of dark ejecta (heavy "soot") onto the surrounding surface. [Blast door seals are designed to keep high pressure OUT, rather than to keep it IN...]

That "flame front" would have produced a low-amplitude, long period seismic signal like a Rayliegh wave -- which would not look like an explosive "event" to short-period seismographs.

89 posted on 01/30/2013 2:09:08 AM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias... "Barack": Allah's current ally...)
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To: nascarnation
Radio talk show host John Batchellor onKUdlow CNBC show claiming 190-200 trapped in a blast that happened Jan 21 in Iran possibly due to Israel. Israelis getting ready for retaliation from Iran. Oil pushing $100 a barell.....

DBM no comment....

Must not fit the ozero/axelrod political meme

90 posted on 01/30/2013 4:07:40 AM PST by rodguy911 (FreeRepublic:Land of the Free because of the Brave--Sarah Palin our secret weapon)
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To: TXnMA

Why would the darkened area have such a distinct edge? It’s like the ejecta is distributed evenly within the coverage area, then falls off quickly at its outer extent. Assuming the ejecta is powdery sooty stuff, I would expect a more gradual tapering off as it billowed out and settled around the area. Also, wouldn’t there have been a “nozzling” effect if the ejecta had been blown out of the tunnels with any force, and wouldn’t we see some sign of that near the tunnel entrances? Other than the north tunnels being near the center of the darkened area, I don’t see any signs that they were the source of it. I’d be more inclined to go with the cloud shadow theory except that there’s no cloud in the pic. So I don’t know, kind of puzzling.


91 posted on 01/30/2013 4:27:48 AM PST by Yardstick
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To: TXnMA

looks like somebody used Burn tool in photoshop to darken it up. is doesn’t look like additional substance on the ground, it’s simply darker.


92 posted on 01/30/2013 4:36:06 AM PST by visualops (artlife.us)
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To: TXnMA

none of the roads or structures above ground seem to have been effected


93 posted on 01/30/2013 5:43:57 AM PST by nuconvert ( Khomeini promised change too // Hail, Chairman O)
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To: Proud2BeRight

“You must be part of the “vast right wing conspiracy”.


My second favorite phrase. : )


94 posted on 01/30/2013 8:51:50 AM PST by MWestMom (Will Americans stop someone who views our children as "collateral damage" in their quest for power?)
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To: Political Junkie Too

I see a 5.1 on the 25th and a 5.4 on the 12th. Both are near enough and with a reported depth of 10 km. I see nothing listed on Earthquaketrack.com.


95 posted on 01/30/2013 10:25:18 AM PST by Ingtar (Everyone complains about the weather, but only Liberals try to legislate it.)
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To: visualops; Yardstick; nuconvert; STD; Ernest_at_the_Beach; PA Engineer; Strategerist
"looks like somebody used Burn tool in photoshop to darken it up."

I agree.

I use "Canvas", which works with both vector and bitmapped graphics seamlessly -- and can apply bitmap filters to vector objects. I've gotten close to the effect with:

The big problem is that all of the transparency/transfer modes tend to intensify the background color, instead of desaturating (obscuring) it as seen in the original.

"Airbrush" tool could probably replicate the effect, but I prefer to stick to processes with mathematically precise controls for analysis work...

Photoshop users would probably convert RGB to CMYK, and then do "chops" (channel operations) on the K (black) channel. I'll play with that if I feel it's worth further effort.

Yardstick listed most of my serious objections -- specifically, no defined venting source(s) with a "nozzling" effect. (I would expect any air vents to be surrounded by a "black as coal" deposit.)

BTW & FWIW, re the limited and sharply defined (low lying) deposit area: I would expect high molecular weight (uranium containing) "soot" to fall out much closer (vertically and horizontally) to the source than would ordinary carbon soot...

Oh, well, until Google or some other public source releases an overflight AFTER the supposed event date, those of us who are limited to public OHI sources have gone about as far as we can go...

~~~~~~~~~

Bottom line: I'm not convinced that we (citizens without access to "National technical means") yet have unimpeachable evidence of what (if anything) happened at Fordo.


96 posted on 01/30/2013 10:51:07 AM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias... "Barack": Allah's current ally...)
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To: TXnMA; Ernest_at_the_Beach
Perhaps in due time, if indeed the facility experienced a catastrophic explosion, we might gain some level of understanding as to what went boom, and why.
I'll reserve comments to that level. To much conflicting reporting on this issue to date, to ascertain the validity of claims.
97 posted on 01/30/2013 11:59:17 AM PST by Marine_Uncle (I'm going John Galt.... But. Honor must be earned.)
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To: Marine_Uncle; Ernest_at_the_Beach
My "bottom line" summary of my analysis (in #96) is in essential agreement with you.
98 posted on 01/30/2013 12:10:52 PM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias... "Barack": Allah's current ally...)
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To: TXnMA

Understand. I read your feedback in #96. I simply echoed similar thoughts.


99 posted on 01/30/2013 12:14:35 PM PST by Marine_Uncle (I'm going John Galt.... But. Honor must be earned.)
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To: TXnMA

Good job of analyzing a photoshopped photo. lol armchair investigator.


100 posted on 01/30/2013 12:16:48 PM PST by stuck_in_new_orleans
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