Tunguska event
The Tunguska event (occasionally also called the Tunguska incident) was a 3–5 megaton explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Yeniseysk Governorate (now Krasnoyarsk Krai), Russia, on the morning of 30 June 1908. The explosion over the sparsely populated East Siberian taiga flattened an estimated 80 million trees over an area of 2,150 km2 (830 sq mi) of forest, and eyewitness accounts suggest up to three people may have died. The explosion is generally attributed to a meteor air burst, the atmospheric explosion of a stony asteroid about 50–60 metres (160–200 feet) wide.: p. 178 The asteroid approached from the east-south-east, probably with a relatively high speed of about 27 km/s (60,000 mph) (~Ma 80). Though the incident is classified as an impact event, the object is thought to have exploded at an altitude of 5 to 10 kilometres (3 to 6 miles) rather than hitting the Earth's surface, leaving no impact crater.
Trees knocked down and burned over by the impact | |
| Date | 30 June 1908 |
|---|---|
| Time | 07:17 |
| Location | Podkamennaya Tunguska River, Siberia, Russian Empire |
| Coordinates | 60°54′11″N 101°54′35″E |
| Cause | Probable meteor air burst of small asteroid or comet |
| Outcome | Flattened 2,150 km2 (830 sq mi) of forest Devastation to local plants and animals |
| Deaths | up to 3 possible |
| Property damage | A few damaged buildings |
The Tunguska event is the largest impact event on Earth in recorded history, though much larger impacts occurred in prehistoric times. An explosion of this magnitude would be capable of destroying a large metropolitan area. The event has been mentioned and served as an inspiration for works of fiction numerous times in popular culture. The equivalent Torino scale rating for the impactor is 8 – a certain collision with local destruction.