A mushroom cloud is the iconic and terrifying result of a thermonuclear explosion, but actually a mushroom cloud can be created by any massive release of heat, such as from a volcano or from something like the 2020 Beirut explosion. Heat rises, and the incredible blast of heat and energy from an explosive fireball quickly ascends through the atmosphere, creating a vacuum in its wake. This vacuum is immediately filled with smoke and debris, forming the visible central column of what will become the mushroom cloud. The fireball soon reaches a point in the atmosphere where the air is cold enough and dense enough to slow its ascent, and the weight and density of the air flattens the fireball and its trailing smoke. The cloud continues to rise as it continues to flatten, forming the rounded cap of the mushroom. Depending on weather conditions, such an ominous cloud can persist in the atmosphere for about an hour until winds and air currents disperse it.