June 26, 2001

Tunguska Event


Tunguska Event

There has been great interest, and concern, as to the possibility of a meteorite or asteroid impacting Earth. Will the dreaded Asteroid 1997 XF11 really miss us? Could there be a pattern or message to this upcoming event with similar past events, all of which occurred in Russia? Movies, such as Deep Impact and Armageddon, graphically exhibit what the effects on Earth and humanity would be. They paint a terrifying picture. Could the theme for these scenarios come from an actual event, over ninety years ago?

On June 30, 1908, a ball of fire came suddenly out of the sky over the Tunguska region, near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River, in Siberia. What was this fiery ball which changed course twice before its blast laid on their sides acres of timber? Was it a comet, an asteroid or a run away UFO? Prevailing theories as to the fireball's identity include meteorite, comet, anti-matter, black hole, UFO or the act of an angry Shamanist deity.

The explosion witnessed by the Evenk or Tungus people, at about 7:30 in the morning, was equal to roughly fifteen megatons of TNT exploding. The impact of the explosion devastated approximately 500,000 acres (2,000 square kilometers) of timberland with shock waves felt and measured as far away as London. The local people, who were witnesses to the Tunguska Event, chronicle a drama which began with a fireball on the horizon, followed by earth tremors and hot, gale force wind. The fireball and explosion were seen from 500 miles away and the gases from the explosion created abnormal bright night time skies over Siberia and Eastern Europe for months after the event.

This tundra region of Siberia was generally untraveled at the time. It was not until the 1920's, that the first scientific study visited the area of the Tunguska event. This team was lead by Russian scientist, Leonid Alekseyevich Kulik who was determined to find meteorite fragments. Kulik's group came away empty handed. He did document that, for up to roughly 20 miles from the blast area, the land still lay barren and scorched. The epicenter of the blast was easily identified as the trees all lay away from it. There was no crater, when Kulik showed up, just a muddy, lifeless bog. Thirty years after the event the Tunguska region still showed dramatic sights of devastation.

The most widely accepted explanation is that an asteroid exploded delivering the massive shock waves which flattened vast forests and was felt thousands of miles away. To have this effect, theorists believe the asteroid must have been approximately sixty meters in diameter. Scientists have generally dismissed the comet theory because of a comet's composition of ice and dust. Such elements would decompose well above the earth, forming a visible fireburst, but no crater or other earthly devastation. Proponents of the asteroid explanation figure that the fireball impacted the earth at roughly 62,000 mph and weighed at least 100,000 tons.

Today modern scientific research techniques are providing new information on what happened in Tunguska over 90 years ago. Was this fireball an asteroid, UFO or warning from God? We don't know, conclusively. We do know that the devastation was vast and the land has been slow to repair itself. If this had happened near a populated area, the loss of life would have been catastrophic. We can take comfort in the NASA statement which assures us that Asteroid 1997 XF11 will miss Earth by some 600,000 miles, in the year 2028.

Terminology

Asteroid: similar to comets and ranging in size from softball size to roughly one-third the size of Earth's moon. An Asteroid is a combination of ice and rock; basically left-over debris from the formation of a solar system.
Comet: an object which orbits the sun and appears to have a tail, which is actually a trail of debris particles. The body, or nucleus, of the comet is usually one to seven miles in diameter and composed, primarily, of ice, dust and rock.
Meteor: also known as a shooting star, is a solid object, about the size of a particle of dust to a small rock, originating from a comet. It becomes visible as it enters Earth's atmosphere and is heated by the friction.
Meteorite: a meteor large enough to withstand passage through Earth's atmosphere and impact the surface.
Evenk or Tungus people: Native peoples of western Siberia with a reputation of being hard working and intelligent folk. They resisted Soviet pressure and collectivization and were dispersed throughout Siberian and Manchuria. The Evenk written language was developed during the Soviet period. Despite Soviet persecution, Shamanism is widely practiced, to this day. Evenks believe that good and evil lives in all people and objects. Attempts to Christianize the Evenk have been, generally, unsuccessful.
Tunguska River is actually two parallel rivers in western Siberia. Both are tributaries of the Yenisey and are known as the Podkamennaya Tunguska River and the Nizhnyaya Tunguska River; Upper and Lower Tunguska, respectfully.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955