The explosion likely happened at an altitude of 5–10 km (15,000–30,000 feet), therefore leaving no impact crater. The energy of the explosion is estimated to have been equivalent to the explosive power of as much as 15 megatons of TNT—a thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.
- Is there a crater at Tunguska?
- What actually happened in Tunguska?
- How large was the meteor that landed near Tunguska?
- How big was the impact crater from the Tunguska impact?
- Was Tunguska a nuclear explosion?
- How often does a Tunguska event occur?
- What are the three explanations offered for the Tunguska Event?
- What is the meaning of Tunguska?
Is there a crater at Tunguska?
A mysterious aspect of the Tunguska event was that no crater was ever found. But, even without a crater, scientists still categorized it as an impact event. They now believe the incoming object never struck Earth, but instead exploded in the atmosphere, causing what's known as an air burst.
What actually happened in Tunguska?
Tunguska event, enormous explosion that is estimated to have occurred at 7:14 am plus or minus one minute on June 30, 1908, at an altitude of 5–10 km (15,000–30,000 feet), flattening some 2,000 square km (500,000 acres) and charring more than 100 square km of pine forest near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in central …
How large was the meteor that landed near Tunguska?
The exploding meteoroid was determined to have been an asteroid that measured about 17–20 metres (56–66 ft) across. It had an estimated initial mass of 11,000 tonnes and exploded with an energy release of approximately 500 kilotons.
How big was the impact crater from the Tunguska impact?
If Khrennikov and colleagues are correct, then Earth had a lucky near-miss that morning. A direct impact with a 656 foot-wide (200 meter-wide) asteroid would have devastated Siberia, leaving a crater 2 miles (3 kilometers) wide.
Was Tunguska a nuclear explosion?
The Tunguska space body flew at a low velocity and exploded due to the internal energy of its substance, not due to the energy of motion. Its explosion had a high concentration of energy, approaching that of a nuclear explosion. Also, it was accompanied by ionizing radiation and radioactive fallout.
How often does a Tunguska event occur?
every 100 to 1,000 years Using the age of fossil craters of large impacts and historical accounts of small meteors, scientists extrapolated the missing data for medium-sized impacts. Based on such estimates, a Tunguska-like event happens every 100 to 1,000 years.
What are the three explanations offered for the Tunguska Event?
I. It was caused by a piece of hurtling antimatter which annihilated on contact with the ordinary matter of the Earth, disappearing in a flash of gamma rays. II. It was caused by a mini black hole which passed through the earth in Siberia and out the other side.
What is the meaning of Tunguska?
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek) a river that arises to the north of Lake Baikal and flows north and west to the Yenisei River. synonyms: Lower Tunguska. example of: river.