A ground burst is the detonation of an explosive device such as an artillery shell, nuclear weapon or air-dropped bomb that explodes at ground level.
This condition produces substantial amounts of nuclear fallout.
An air burst or a deep subterranean detonation, by contrast, makes little fallout.
The ground shock can damage or destroy hardened structures.
In water, the shock is damaging to nearby vessels and may also produce a surface wave to limited ranges.