Electro-magnetic pulse or EMP in short can be achieved in 2 ways, by nuclear and by non-nuclear means. All nuclear explosions can create EMP's but there are several factors that determine the strength of an EMP burst. If you say the yield of the bomb makes all the difference, you are deadly wrong. The main factor is the altitude of the explosion and after dozens of tests by the USA and Russia back in the late 50' and early 60', they have determined that a 300 miles high detonation would be the most effective. If the explosion is within the atmosphere or too far out in space then there would be little to no EMP effect. This is due to the way an EMP is formed, our Magnetosphere is the key for an EMP to be effective here. The strength of the magnetosphere at the moment of the explosion is another factor.
Nuclear EMPs creates a complex multi-pulses and are made up of 3 components and they are called E1, E2 and E3.
The E1 pulse occurs very fast, in the order of nanoseconds, and is produced when gamma radiation from the detonation knocks electrons out of atoms in the upper atmosphere. the free electrons then travel in a downward direction at close to the speed of light but here is where the magic happens. As the electrons travel downwards they are captured by Earth's magnetic field and are re-directed in a right angle flow, following the magnetosphere field lines.
This causes the EMP to "spread" out a lot further than in the absence of a magnetic field. In short, the interaction with the Earth's magnetic field produces a very large but very brief electromagnetic pulse over the affected area. This is known as the Compton effect and the results are devastating for even the most shielded electronic apparatuses.
E1 can be measured in the order of hundreds of KeV's (100,000 electron volts plus) and up to 2 MeV (million electron volts) which was achieved in a 1.44 megaton experimental detonation back in 1962 in the high-altitude test code named "Operation fishbowl"
The E2 pulse is generated by scattering gamma rays produced by the weapon neutrons. It lasts a bit longer and behaves like lightning therefore lighting protection devices have a better chance to do their intended jobs. The main problem is the fact that E2 immediately follows E1 which may have already damaged surge protection devices thus leaving the door wide open for E2 to destroy the protected apparatuses.
The E3 pulse is quite different from the first 2, it is very slow and can last 100's of seconds due to it moving the Earth magnetic field out of the way, followed by its restoration to its natural place.
E3 acts like a Geomagnetic storm and induces currents in long electrical conductors such as high voltage wires and transformers.Do you recall when North Korea conducted those underground tests and US intelligence detected only low yield nuclear explosion? In the order of 3-5 kilotons?
Some engineers thought they were failed nuclear detonations but other suspected that they actually were “Super EMP's". North Korea has only to launch 1 of these in orbit and then guide it above the USA and its game over.Here is an old article from that substantiates the previous text.
"For many years U.S. Intelligence agencies believed that North Korea’s nuclear weapons program was a failure due to the low explosive yield of their tests. According to EMPact America’s President and former
CIA nuclear weapons analyst Dr. Peter Vincent Pry, this is not the case: North Korea’s last round of tests, conducted in May 2009, appear to have included a “super-EMP” weapon, capable of emitting enough gamma rays to disable the electric power grid across most of the lower 48 states, says Dr. Peter Vincent Pry, a former CIA nuclear weapons analyst and president of EMPact America, a citizens lobbying group."
The Center for Security Policy, in a report issued last year, has estimated that in the event of a wide-scale EMP attack on the United States, as many as nine out of ten Americans would be dead within one year:
“Within a year of that attack, nine out of 10 Americans would be dead, because we can’t support a population of the present size in urban centers and the like without electricity,” said Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy. “And that is exactly what I believe the Iranians are working towards.”The first 24 – 48 hours after such an occurrence will lead to confusion among the general population as traditional news acquisition sources like television, radio and cell phone networks will be non-functional.Within a matter of days, once people realize the power might not be coming back on and grocery store shelves start emptying, the entire system will begin to delve into chaos.
Within 30 days a mass die off will have begun as food supplies dwindle, looters and gangs turn to violent extremes, medicine can’t be restocked and water pump stations fail.For those interested in learning more about the after-effects of EMP and several different scenarios in which you may find yourself, we strongly recommend reading / watching the following:
One Second After by William Forstchen
Lights Out by David Crawford
Patriots by James Rawles
Jericho TV show (via Netflix or iTunes)
With the information gained you’ll theoretically have a working knowledge of the supplies you’ll need for extended grid-down situations. Additionally, each story deals with a slightly different setting, so you’ll have an understanding of the organizational and defense requirements necessary to secure and manage an individual property, small community neighborhood, and an entire town.
Power outages happen all the time. But you’ll know an EMP has been detonated (or we’ve been hit by a massive solar event) if the power to your house goes off, cars are not starting, and your cell phone won’t turn on. If that happens, take a deep breath, say a prayer, and put the supplies and knowledge you’ve acquired to work, because it won’t be long before the golden horde wrecks havoc.
