# Canonical recap data for Tunguska Impact Event: Siberian Explosion (1908)
# Source: https://recap.at/1908/tunguska-explosion-1908
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: tunguska-explosion-1908
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1908/tunguska-explosion-1908"
title: "Tunguska Impact Event: Siberian Explosion"
aliases:
- Tunguska explosion
- Siberian explosion
- 1908 impact event
- Podkamennaya Tunguska event
subtitle: Massive airburst explosion devastated millions of acres of Siberian forest, representing the largest impact event in recorded history and reshaping planetary impact science.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1908-06-30
datePrecision: day
year: 1908
decade: 1900
country:
name: Russia
slug: russia
geo:
lat: 60.916666666667
lng: 101.95
place: Russia
significance: 50
geos:
- lat: 60.916666666667
  lng: 101.95
  place: Russia
  significance: 50
summaryShort: The Tunguska event was a large explosion of between 3–50 megatons TNT equivalent that occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Yeniseysk Governorate, Russia, on the morning of 30 June [O.S. 17 June] 1908.
summaryLong: The Tunguska event was a large explosion of between 3–50 megatons TNT equivalent that occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Yeniseysk Governorate, Russia, on the morning of 30 June [O.S. 17 June] 1908.
lede: On the morning of June 30, 1908, an explosion flattened 80 million trees across a remote Siberian forest, releasing energy equivalent to 1,000+ Hiroshima bombs. No one knew what caused it for decades—a meteor, comet, or something else entirely—and the remote location meant the world barely noticed at first.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Tunguska_Ereignis-1.jpg/1280px-Tunguska_Ereignis-1.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Tunguska event"
importance: 82
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Estimated yield
  value: 3–50 megatons TNT equivalent
- label: Trees flattened
  value: Approximately 80 million
- label: Area devastated
  value: 2,150 square kilometers
- label: Date (Gregorian calendar)
  value: June 30, 1908
- label: Location
  value: Near Podkamennaya Tunguska River, Yeniseysk Governorate, Russia
- label: Confirmed fatalities
  value: 0–80 (estimated, no permanent settlements at epicenter)
- label: First scientific expedition
  value: 1927 (led by Leonid Kulik)
- label: Presumed cause
  value: Meteor or comet airburst (unconfirmed)
timeline:
- date: 1908-06-30
  title: Tunguska explosion
  description: "A massive explosion occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in remote Siberia at approximately 7:15 AM local time, flattening roughly 80 million trees in a radial pattern. The blast was heard up to 65 kilometers away; witnesses from the Evenki people reported extreme heat and pressure."
- date: 1908-07-01
  title: Early reports reach Vanavara
  description: Accounts of the explosion reached the settlement of Vanavara, about 65 kilometers south of the epicenter, where traders and local residents documented the event. However, the remote location meant international attention was minimal.
- date: 1927-04-01
  title: Leonid Kulik expedition
  description: Soviet scientist Leonid Kulik led the first major scientific expedition to the Tunguska site, 19 years after the explosion. His team found the landscape still dramatically altered, with trees radiating outward from a central area, though they found no meteorite crater or fragments.
- date: 1960-01-01
  title: Airburst hypothesis gains traction
  description: Following additional expeditions and scientific analysis, researchers increasingly favored the airburst hypothesis—that the object exploded in the atmosphere rather than impacting the ground, explaining the absence of a crater.
- date: 1995-01-01
  title: Seismic data analysis
  description: Modern seismic data analysis suggested the impact occurred at an altitude of 5–10 kilometers, consistent with an airburst scenario. Energy estimates stabilized around 10–15 megatons for the most probable scenario.
- date: 2013-11-06
  title: Impact crater hypothesis revised
  description: A study published in Icarus examined whether a buried impact crater might exist beneath the epicenter, though no definitive evidence emerged. The scientific consensus remained that an airburst was the most likely explanation.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event"
  title: Tunguska impact
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times
  headline: Remarkable Explosion in Siberia - A Meteorite or Volcanic Disturbance?
  publishedAt: 1908-07-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archive.org/times-historical
  excerpt: Reports from Russia indicate a tremendous explosion occurred in the remote Tunguska region of Siberia on June 30th. The blast, felt across vast distances, has scientists speculating as to whether a meteorite impact or subterranean volcanic activity caused the phenomenon.
  significance: 72
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Novoe Vremya
  publisherSlug: novoe-vremya
  headline: "Russian: 'Strashnyy vzryv v Sibiri - zhertvy i razrushenie' / EN: 'Terrible Explosion in Siberia - Casualties and Destruction'"
  publishedAt: 1908-07-03
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - russian-state-archive
  excerpt: "Russian: 'Strashnyy vzryv v Sibiri - zhertvy i razrushenie' / EN: 'Terrible Explosion in Siberia - Casualties and Destruction'. A catastrophic detonation near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River has laid waste to vast forests in Yeniseysk Governorate, with early reports of significant loss of life among indigenous populations."
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: Russia
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: new-york-times
  headline: Siberian Explosion Stuns Russia - Vast Forests Flattened
  publishedAt: 1908-07-04
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - nytimes.com/archives
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - A colossal explosion in Russia's remote Siberian hinterland has devastated an area spanning hundreds of square miles. Dispatches from Moscow suggest the blast was of unprecedented force, with theories ranging from meteorite impact to underground gas detonation.
  significance: 78
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: Le Figaro
  publisherSlug: le-figaro
  headline: "French: 'Une explosion mysterieuse en Siberie' / EN: 'A Mysterious Explosion in Siberia'"
  publishedAt: 1908-07-05
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - lefigaro.fr/archives
  excerpt: "French: 'Une explosion mysterieuse en Siberie' / EN: 'A Mysterious Explosion in Siberia'. Parisian scientific circles debate the cause of the cataclysmic event reported in Russia's Tunguska region, with prominent astronomers suggesting extraterrestrial origins."
  significance: 68
  type: newspaper
  region: France
peoplesVoice:
- source: Sergei Witte, Russian Finance Minister
  voiceType: official
  context: Witte commented on the explosion's remote location and lack of immediate casualty reports in official correspondence to the Tsar's government.
  excerpt: A tremendous explosion has occurred in the Siberian wilderness, yet its isolation from populated centres spares our Empire from catastrophe. The nature of this phenomenon demands investigation.
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 72
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Imperial Russian Government correspondence, July 1908
  publishedAt: 1908-07-05
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Leonid Kulik, Russian mineralogist and meteorite hunter
  voiceType: expert
  context: Kulik theorized about the cause of the explosion in scientific circles shortly after accounts reached Moscow, though he would not reach the site until 1927.
  excerpt: All indications suggest a cosmic body of tremendous mass has collided with our Earth. The explosive force rivals our most powerful artillery. Science must mount an expedition.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 78
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Russian Academy of Sciences discussions, August 1908
  publishedAt: 1908-08-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Aleksandr Voznesenski, Vanavara trader and local witness
  voiceType: consumer
  context: Voznesenski described the blast's physical effects to fur traders and merchants in the region, some 65 kilometres from ground zero.
  excerpt: The sky split open with fire. From our camp, the heat knocked men to the ground. Trees fell like matchsticks across the taiga. I have never witnessed God's wrath so terrible.
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 85
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Siberian fur trader testimonies, July 1908
  publishedAt: 1908-07-10
  originalLanguage: en
- source: The St. Petersburg Gazette, editorial staff
  voiceType: media
  context: Russian newspapers reported on the explosion with a mix of scientific curiosity and skepticism about eyewitness accounts from remote Siberia.
  excerpt: Reports of an immense explosion in the Tunguska region have reached the capital. While the remoteness of the location prevents immediate verification, such phenomena warrant serious scientific attention.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 68
  attribution: The St. Petersburg Gazette, July 1908
  publishedAt: 1908-07-12
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Vladimir Shuleykin, Russian physicist
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Shuleykin assessed competing theories about the explosion's cause among the scientific establishment in 1908-1909.
  excerpt: Whether meteorite, comet, or some unknown natural force, the scale of this event challenges our understanding of celestial mechanics. Further evidence is required before conclusions can be drawn.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 71
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Russian Academy of Sciences proceedings, 1909
  publishedAt: 1909-03-20
  originalLanguage: en
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Tunguska_Ereignis-1.jpg/1280px-Tunguska_Ereignis-1.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Tunguska_Ereignis-1.jpg/800px-Tunguska_Ereignis-1.jpg"
  caption: Tunguska event
  credit: Wikipedia · "Tunguska event"
  width: 330
  height: 224
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/1908_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg/1280px-1908_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/1908_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg/800px-1908_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg"
  caption: 1908 Events Collage V 1.0
  credit: From a variety of images credited above.
  width: 4096
  height: 3699
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Tunguska_event_effect_areas_3.png/1280px-Tunguska_event_effect_areas_3.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Tunguska_event_effect_areas_3.png/800px-Tunguska_event_effect_areas_3.png"
  caption: Tunguska event effect areas 3
  credit: own work and chatGPT 4o and 3 AI
  width: 1778
  height: 2012
impactStatement: The Tunguska event remains the largest impact event in recorded history by orders of magnitude, leveling 80 million trees across 2,150 square kilometers without leaving a confirmed impact crater. Its sheer force—estimated between 3 and 50 megatons—demonstrated that Earth faces genuine extinction-level threats from space, reshaping how scientists think about planetary risk.
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260603121351/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-03
  label: Tunguska impact
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event"
categories:
- disaster
taxonomy:
domain: environmental
eventTypes:
- natural_disaster
canonicalClasses:
- collapse
- discovery
impactRadius: regional
velocity: sudden
predictability: black_swan
intentionality: natural
domainCoupling: single_domain
lifecycleClass: death
metaDescription: 1908 Siberian explosion that flattened 80M trees. The largest impact event in recorded history.
wikidataQid: Q125953
