Tunguska Event
1908 Siberian explosion sometimes cited in fringe UFO theories
| Tunguska Event | |
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| Date | June 30, 1908 |
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| Location | Podkamennaya Tunguska, Siberia, Russian Empire |
| Type | Explosion / fringe claim |
| Status | Explained astronomicallyUFO claim debunked |
A massive airburst explosion, estimated at 10–15 megatons, flattened roughly 2,000 square kilometers of Siberian forest with no confirmed impact crater, making it the largest impact-related event in recorded history.
Assessment
The overwhelming scientific consensus, based on decades of geological and astronomical study, attributes the event to the airburst of a stony asteroid or comet fragment roughly 50–60 meters across exploding several miles above the surface. Fringe UFO and “crashed alien spacecraft” theories, occasionally advanced since the mid-20th century, are not supported by any physical evidence and are rejected by the mainstream scientific community.
[1]See also
References
- ^ Chyba, C. F.; Thomas, P. J.; Zahnle, K. J. (1993). “The 1908 Tunguska explosion: atmospheric disruption of a stony asteroid.” Nature.