Tunguska Event

This week marks the 100 year anniversary of the Tunguska event. The mystery involves an explosion of sorts that happened in the early morning hours of a remote region in Siberia. The explosion was so intense, that it leveled trees for over 800 square miles, and was likely several times more powerful than a nuclear bomb. What makes it such a mystery is that no impact crater was formed.

So what could have caused such an event? Scientists have debated this for the last 100 years. Eye witness accounts from hundreds of miles away stated that a fireball was seen over the sky just before the blast. But a meteor impact would have left a huge crater. So what could it have been? The proposals have been everything from anti-matter, to a miniature black hole, to space aliens. But anti-matter would have left residual radiation evidence. A miniature black hole (if they exist) would have come through the other side of the earth causing a similar effect. And aliens, well, I suppose that will always remain a possibility.

But the best idea I have heard is that it was a piece of a comment. Comments are often made of ice and dust. If it were traveling fast enough, it would have vaporized before it hit the surface. The super-heated gas would have burst into the earth with amazing force, creating the explosion and fire, and never leaving a crater.

We may never know for sure the cause, but the Tunguska event will certainly remain one of the most strange and spectacular events in recent history.