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Scientists Trace 1908 Tunguska Blast to 40-Meter Airburst

By Drooid · Oct 13, 2026, 12:59 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

An asteroid exploded over Russia’s Tunguska region, flattening forest and injuring Indigenous people on June 30, 1908.
Scientists now attribute the blast to a ~40-meter asteroid airburst several miles high.
Seismic stations hundreds of miles away recorded tremors from the blast.
A 60-foot asteroid exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia in February 2013, injuring over 1,000 people.

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Story summary

An asteroid exploded over Russia’s Tunguska region, flattening forest and injuring Indigenous people on June 30, 1908.
Scientists now attribute the blast to a ~40-meter asteroid airburst several miles high.
Seismic stations hundreds of miles away recorded tremors from the blast.
A 60-foot asteroid exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia in February 2013, injuring over 1,000 people.