The Tunguska Event--also known as the Tunguska Blast or Explosion--was an unexplained incident of explosive impact that took place near the Podkamennaya Tunguska Riverin, Russia, back on June 30, 1908. It is said that this explosion was roughly 1000 times more powerful that the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima!

Despite its magnitude, scientists have only been able to speculate on the cause of the Tunguska Event. Most of the scientific community believes that the explosion resulted from the air burst of a meteoroid or comet fragment about 5 to 10 km above the Earth's surface. It is also believed that this mysterious object was a few tens of metres in length.

Of course, back in 1908, there were no rational scientific minds in the vast snowy expanse of Siberia. As a result, scared locals thought the impact was a nothing but an unannounced visit by the God Odgy, who in his wrath smashed trees and killed animals.

It took over a decade for an organized group to take stock of the situation. In 1921, Leonid Kulik of the St. Petersburg museum led an expidition to the affected region, but the harsh Siberian conditions didn't allow him to get too far. Then finally, in 1927, Kulik made it to the point of impact.

He interviewed several locals who were affected by this strange event and his findings confirmed that this was no act of man. However, as nuclear technology developed, it became clear that similar destruction was being caused by a really powerful atomic bomb!

The shock waves produced by the impact were highly destructive. While the object in question didn't hit the Earth's surface (and burst in the air, as mentioned above), the blast wave travelled vertically downward claiming everything in its path.

Although most people seem to agree that this was either and asteroid or a comet, there are others who wonder if this was a natural hydrogen bomb--which means a comet may have undergone nuclear fission upon reaching the Earth's atmostphere! And then there are the usual conspiracy theorists who posit wild theories such as a possible attack by aliens!

No matter what you choose to believe, the fact remains that the Tunguska Event is one of the biggest--and thus far unexplained--explosions in the world!


-Pictures courtesy Wikimedia-

30 Second, guide, tunguska event, russia, explosion

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