A gigaton (or gigatonne) is a metric unit of mass, equal to 1,000,000,000 (1 billion) metric tons, 1,000,000,000,000 (1 trillion) kilograms, or 1 quadrillion grams. More commonly, though, the term gigaton is used to mean a gigaton of TNT. The definition, agreement and practical use of units of measurement have played a crucial role in human endeavour from early ages up to this day. ... Mass is a property of a physical object that quantifies the amount of matter and energy it is equivalent to. ... A tonne (symbol t), sometimes referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of weight. ... The international prototype, made of platinum-iridium, which is kept at the BIPM under conditions specified by the 1st CGPM in 1889. ... BIC pen cap, about 1 gram. ... Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is an explosive. ...

A gigaton of TNT is more commonly used as a measure of energy equal to that released by 1 billion metric tons of TNT, or 4.184 × 10¹⁸ joules = 4.184 exajoules (EJ). A gigaton is equal to 1,000 megatons, and is from the same family of terms. However, while megatons are commonly used as a measure of explosive devices, the most powerful explosive device ever detonated - the Tsar Bomba - had a yield of only 57 megatons (October 30, 1961 - U.S.S.R.). Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is an explosive. ... In the X Window System, in the X.Org Server, EXA is a graphics acceleration architecture to make the XRender extension more usable, with only minor changes needed to adapt XFree86 video drivers written to use XAA (the XFree86 Acceleration Architecture). ... A megaton or megatonne is a unit of mass equal to 1,000,000 metric tons, i. ... The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb, also known as Mother Of All Bombs, produced in the United States. ... Tsar Bomba casing on display at Arzamas-16 Site of detonation Tsar Bomba (Russian: , literally Emperor-bomb) is the Western name for the largest, most powerful nuclear explosive ever detonated. ... // The explosive yield of a nuclear weapon is the amount of energy discharged when the weapon is detonated, expressed usually in the equivalent mass of trinitrotoluene (TNT), either in kilotons (thousands of tons of TNT) or megatons (million of tons of TNT), but sometimes also in terajoules (1 kiloton of... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Soviet redirects here. ...

The term gigaton is therefore used mostly in seismology. An earthquake measuring an 8.0 on the Richter scale releases the equivalent of approximately 1.01 gigatons of TNT; the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake is estimated to have released the equivalent of 100 gigatons of TNT. Even in this context however, the term gigaton is not often used. It is perhaps more appropriately used in planetary science, where impact events can release thousands or even millions of gigatons of energy; the body that caused the Chicxulub crater in Mexico is estimated to have released the equivalent of as much as 190,000 gigatons of TNT. Seismology (from the Greek seismos = earthquake and logos = word) is the scientific study of earthquakes and the movement of waves through the Earth. ... An earthquake is a phenomenon that results from and is powered by the sudden release of stored energy that radiates seismic waves. ... The Richter magnitude test scale (or more correctly local magnitude ML scale) assigns a single number to quantify the size of an earthquake. ... The tsunami caused by the December 26, 2004 earthquake strikes Ao Nang, Thailand. ... Planetary science, also known as planetology or planetary astronomy, is the science of planets, or planetary systems, and the solar system. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Radar topography reveals the 180 kilometer (112 mile) wide ring of the crater (image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech) Chicxulub Crater is an ancient impact crater buried underneath the Yucatan peninsula, with its center located approximately underneath the town of Chicxulub, Yucatán, Mexico. ...

Although the gigaton unit does not appear to be in common enough usage to warrant an official abbreviation, Gt would be the logical choice. An official (from the Latin Officialis, person – or object – related to an officium, see that article) is, in the primary sense, someone who holds an office (i. ...

See also

• Megaton