why do big explosions create mushroom clouds?

Question

why do big explosions create mushroom clouds?

In: Physics

Answer 1

Big explosions create a lot of heat. That creates a powerful updraft near the location of the explosion, which draws air in and rises up in a column above the center. The edges of that column form vortices that curl outward, which is what causes the “mushroom” shape – more technically, a [Rayleigh-Taylor instability](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayleigh%E2%80%93Taylor_instability).