Hypocenter / Ground Zero

This monument marks the hypocenter—the precise point on the ground directly beneath where the atomic bomb, the first ever used in human history, exploded approximately 600 meters above the city on August 6, 1945.

This monument marks the hypocenter—the location directly beneath the point where the atomic bomb, "Little Boy," detonated in the skies above Hiroshima City at 8:15 AM on August 6, 1945 (Showa 20).
The atomic bomb exploded at an altitude of approximately 600 meters (± 50 meters) above this spot, instantaneously releasing thousands of degrees of thermal radiation, a powerful blast, and intense radiation. The monument stands a mere 160 meters southeast of the Atomic Bomb Dome (formerly the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall). Shima Hospital, which was situated directly beneath the hypocenter, was instantly and completely destroyed, and all staff and patients inside perished.