The Tunguska 'meteorite' left no crater.

1908 · 1927 · apart: 19 years

Reaching the epicentre in 1927, Kulik's expedition found trees still standing but stripped of branches, and around them 2,150 km² of forest felled in a butterfly shape: the object exploded in the air.

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The event

• Tunguska event1908 · Podkamennaya Tunguska, Siberia. On 30 June 1908 a cosmic body, probably an asteroid or comet fragment, exploded over the Siberian taiga. The blast flattened forest over some 2,150 km², and night skies over Europe glowed for days. Leonid Kulik's first expedition reached the site only in 1927.

20th century

More amazing facts

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