>About 180 million years ago, a planet-shattering yet naturally occurring nuclear reaction may have wiped out everything on Mars, sending a shockwave that turned the planet into dry sand.
>Even more incredible: A natural nuclear reaction could have occurred on our own planet -- and could happen again, said Dr. John Brandenburg, a senior propulsion scientist at Orbital Technologies Corp
>According to Brandenburg, the natural explosion, the equivalent of 1 million one-megaton hydrogen bombs, occurred in the northern Mare Acidalium region of Mars where there is a heavy concentration of radioactivity.
>“This massive nuclear explosion on Mars seems to defy natural explanation,” said a baffled Brandenburg.
Would be interesting if the Vedic texts eerily describing something approximating a nuclear hell could be describing a natural disaster we never even knew could exist. Every generation that goes by we seem to find out just how increasingly precarious our situation is.
I think this is the kind that you'd only survive if you had escaped Earth or had a well-located deep vault with generational supplies to weather it until recovery above happens or can be done or for a permanent life there.
Other than that you're praying for the Rapture or some other spiritual type salvation.
Perhaps a smaller scale one could happen that would "only" devastate a large area rather than the globe, but I'd imagine that would have massive impacts on the rest of the world politically, economically and likely environmentally (crops damaged with dust ejection and so on no doubt and radioactive dust spreading through the wind). That would be surviable by many more even if it would be hard times for anyone not part of the world elite or very well prepared.
There are a few people (outside of the government no-expense-spared ones) able to survive underground for very long terms. I've seen some hardcore survivalist with ones set up to last fifty years or more. I also know some incredibly wealthy people even have ones with hydroponics and such to keep them fed beyond mere stocked food. Really it comes down to how much resources, time and skill you have. With enough of the first you can manage pretty much anything, the latter two make life easier for the rest of the 99.9999% of the world who aren't billionaires or some such.
>the equivalent of 1 million one-megaton hydrogen bombs
So 1 million megatons, then. 1,000,000,000,000 tonnes of dynamite. Bloody hell. The biggest we've ever done is 100 megatons, and that would be enough to cause a nuclear winter.
>I think this is the kind that you'd only survive if you...had a well-located deep vault with generational supplies to weather it until recovery above happens or can be done or for a permanent life there.
Makes me think that perhaps there was life on Mars and this catastrophe could have wiped it out and left it forever barren and inhospitable to almost everything.