Russian scientists ‘debunk’ evidence meteorite caused world’s biggest-ever explosion … so what DID trigger Tunguska event blast, the size of 185 atomic bombs?
New study reignites mega meteorite mystery after concluding 'impact crater lake' is older than meteorite
THE cause of the world's biggest explosion remains a mystery after Russian experts say scientific research "proving" it was a meteorite is flawed.
The so-called Tunguska event coincided with a large streaking fireball crossing the Siberian sky on June 20 1908, and its eruption some six miles above ground flattened 80million trees, leaving charred reindeer carcasses.
Italian scientists carried out research over 21 years and concluded there were two meteors.
One exploded in the sky and created a huge blast wave while the other hit the Earth and created a crater that became Lake Cheko after being filled with rain water over time.
But a new study by Russian geologists claims to debunks this theory, according to reports in Moscow.
The explosion was the biggest ever documented and equivalent to 185 Hiroshima bombs, although amazingly there was no evidence of human fatalities.
It led to a host of theories on the cause apart from a meteorite.
This includes a massive volcanic eruption, a comet mainly composed of ice not solid space rock and a black hole colliding with Earth.
Some even believe aliens shot down a meteor from a UFO in order to save Earth.
"There was a bang in the sky and a mighty crash.
"The crash was followed by a noise like stones falling from the sky, or of guns firing. The earth trembled," said a native Siberian some 40 miles from the epicentre.
"It appeared to be Armageddon. I became so hot I couldn't bear it, as if my shirt was on fire," said another account.
"I wanted to tear off my shirt and throw it down, and then the sky slammed shut.
"A strong thump sounded and I was thrown a few yards."
It caused shockwaves as far away as Britain and dust from the explosion lit up the night sky in its wake in Europe and even America.
Italian scientist Luca Gasperini, from the University of Bologna, has long believed crater-shaped Lake Cheko, some five miles from the epicentre, to be the missing link in the Tunguska mystery.
It was not marked on tsarist-era maps of Siberia, and his team's seismic measurements of its bottom indicated sediment had been building for around a century.
The Italian theory based on the pattern of tree destruction is that two bodies entered the atmosphere. One exploded about five miles above ground, and the other hit the Earth forming Lake Cheko.
Now Russian researchers have examined the sediment from the deepest part of the lake, some 50 metres below the surface, and undertaken geochemical and biochemical analysis.
Researchers from Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk assessed the age by analysing the its bottom sediments, undertaking geochemical and biochemical analysis.
The study indicates that the deepest sample they obtained is about 280 years old.
This means the lake is probably even older, because the researchers did not manage to obtain samples from the very bottom of the sediment layer.
"Geologically the lake appears young. But not young enough to be a crater lake caused by Tunguska," reported The Siberian Times, which also said the reason for its formation remains a mystery.
So the puzzle over Tunguska remains, but the answer could be that it was a meteorite and that it obliterated entirely in the aerial explosion.
This happened during the Chelyabinsk meteor in 2013.
It exploded high in the sky, with a powerful shock wave causing widespread damage down below as well as leaving hundreds injured.
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