"Ellen Gilchrist - Black Winter" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gilchrist Ellen)

the rest of the way. He's asleep now. He has talked to a lot of people
between here and Minnesota. He says they are mostly holed up waiting to
see what happens. He said there isn't going to be any more food in North
America. Next year he says there probably won't be any.
Here is part of one of Mort's books. тАЬThe detonation of a nuclear
weapon near the Earth's surface raises enormous quantities of dust into
the atmosphere and causes deadly radioactive fallout. Nuclear fission of
plutonium (and uranium), the process that triggers all nuclear explosions,
creates dozens of unstable atomic nuclei that decay over periods of hours
to years into more stable forms. In the act of decaying the unstable nuclei
release alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Of these, the gamma rays -- a
very energetic but invisible form of light -- are the most dangerous.
Typically, gamma rays can penetrate a foot of concrete, one or two feet of
dirt, or two or three feet of water. They come from two principal sources:
the initial тАШpromptтАЩ gamma rays produced during the nuclear explosion
itself, and the тАШdelayedтАЩ gamma rays emitted during the radioactive decay
of residual unstable chemical elements synthesized in the explosion. The
prompt gammas irradiate the region already subject to intense thermal
radiation and blast effects. For this reason, their lethal effects are
comparatively unimportant. Dead is dead; it doesn't matter if those killed
by falling buildings or burned to death are also fried by gamma rays.
тАЬThe delayed gammas, however, are emitted by debris that can be
carried by winds hundreds or thousands of miles from the explosion site
before falling out or raining out of the air. The radioactive elements
involved tend to condense onto dust particles. In the rising fireball of a
surface nuclear detonation, the intimate mixing of surface particles swept
into the fireball with the newly generated radioactive elements scrubs
most of the radioactivity out of the air and onto the dust. Hence the
radioactivity is distributed over a large area as the dust settles downwind
of the detonation. . . .тАЭ (Page 52, A Path Where No Man Thought.)
тАЬWhere were the explosions?тАЭ we had asked him. тАЬDo you know what
cities were hit?тАЭ
тАЬThe east coast. Nashville, Atlanta, North Carolina, Cincinnati,тАЭ he kept
on naming them. I think half of it was a guess. There has been mist here
for several days now. Thick dark mist.
We are staying in the cave.
тАЬIf all the explosions were east of the Mississippi I think we have a
chance,тАЭ Tannin said.
тАЬThen why is it so dark here?тАЭ
тАЬIt's lighter than it was. It was worse a few months ago.тАЭ
тАЬWe were in a stone church, then in this cave,тАЭ I told Mort. тАЬI think we
have a chance, don't you? If we had radiation poisoning we'd be sick by
now.тАЭ
тАЬHow thick were the walls of the church?тАЭ
тАЬI'm not sure. Pretty thick.тАЭ
тАЬI think you lucked up so far.тАЭ Mort put his chin on his hand. He looked
from Tannin to me and back again. Then he sat up very straight. тАЬYou can
go with me if you like,тАЭ he said. тАЬJust because it's been safe here doesn't
mean it will stay that way.тАЭ
тАЬWhy are you going to the equator? Tell us exactly why again.тАЭ