🔹 Overview of the Tunguska Event

On the morning of June 30, 1908, a massive explosion occurred over the remote Siberian taiga near the Tunguska River in Russia. The event, known as the Tunguska Event, is widely believed to have been caused by the airburst of a meteoroid or comet fragment at an altitude of about 5 to 10 kilometers.

The explosion released energy equivalent to approximately 10–15 megatons of TNT, flattening over 80 million trees across an area of 2,150 square kilometers (830 sq mi).

🔹 Human Impact

Despite the remoteness of the region, the blast was so powerful that people located miles away from the explosion were affected. One of the most astonishing reports described people being thrown 20 feet through the air due to the shockwave.

People as far as 2 miles (about 3.2 kilometers) from the explosion site reported being thrown into the air, knocked off their feet, or experiencing broken windows and tremors. Some eyewitnesses described a “blinding flash,” followed by a deafening sound and an intense heat wave.

🔹 Scientific Explanation

The meteoroid or comet fragment likely disintegrated in mid-air, generating a powerful airburst. The resulting shockwave propagated outward at supersonic speeds, releasing immense kinetic energy and causing the observed effects.

• 🌬️ Shockwave pressure at ground level caused physical displacement of objects and people
• 🔥 Intense heat scorched nearby vegetation
• 🌍 Vibrations were felt hundreds of kilometers away

🔹 Historical Significance

The Tunguska Event remains the largest impact-related event in recorded human history, and it serves as a reminder of the potential threat posed by near-Earth objects (NEOs). Scientists continue to study this event to understand how similar impacts could be detected and mitigated in the future.