Why the Beirut blast created a mushroom cloud
The blast at the Port of Beirut from August 4 seen on a rendered satellite map. Authorities and aid workers are still searching for the dead and injured. (Vampy1/Deposit Photos/)The powerful explosion that rocked Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday has so far killed more than 150 people, injured thousands, and destroyed dozens of buildings in the country’s capital city. But one aspect of the explosion that was caught on video has some people puzzled: The blast created a massive mushroom cloud similar to those seen after nuclear blasts, prompting some online observers to question whether the explosion was the result of an atomic weapon. Explosives experts now say that the towering fireball was likely caused by a 2,750-ton stockpile of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at the port. Ammonium nitrate is a highly reactive chemical used in fertilizer because the compound’s high concentration of nitrogen stimulates plant growth. It’s...