The Blast With No Crater: The Tunguska Explosion

 

On June 30 1908 , a massive explosion tore through the air above the Podkamennaya Tunguska River. The blast flattened about 2,000 square kilometers of forest and scorched parts of the land. Remarkably, no crater was formed because the object exploded high above the ground, and only tiny fragments were ever found. So what caused it? Scientists think a stony asteroid, around 50–100 meters wide, exploded in mid-air, though some suggest a comet. Even as far away as Europe, the explosion was powerful enough to shake the ground, knock people off their feet, and light up night skies for days. Because the object disintegrated before hitting the ground, the mystery of its exact nature has never been solved. The site was first explored nearly 20 years later by Leonid Kulik, who found trees radiating outward from a central point, while the very centre remained bare. Locals remembered the fireball, the shockwaves, and the strange glowing skies that followed. Even today, this blast remains as one of history's most unexplained explosions.

All images are AI generated and for illustrative purposes only