Mystery Atlas
Theory

Tunguska Cosmic Airburst Explanation

The mainstream scientific explanation: a stony asteroid or cometary fragment roughly 50-60 metres across entered the atmosphere and exploded in an airburst 5-10 kilometres above the ground, releasing energy on the order of 10-15 megatons of TNT and flattening the forest below without leaving a crater, since the object disintegrated before reaching the surface.

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Theories & Explanations

  • Tunguska Alien Spacecraft Claim

    Tunguska Cosmic Airburst Explanation has alternative explanation Tunguska Alien Spacecraft Claim — A popular-culture rival to the airburst consensus; unsupported by any recovered material.

  • Tunguska Black Hole Hypothesis

    Tunguska Cosmic Airburst Explanation has alternative explanation Tunguska Black Hole Hypothesis — Offered as a rival to the consensus airburst account; not taken seriously by specialists since the 1970s.

Events

  • Tunguska Event30 June 1908

    Tunguska Cosmic Airburst Explanation attempts to explain Tunguska Event.

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What Was the Tunguska Event?

The Tunguska event: the 1908 Siberian explosion that flattened 80 million trees, why no crater was ever found, and what scientists now believe caused it.