Topics: Lexicon, Metagene, Mutant, Tunguska Event.
On June 30th 1908, an unknown object exploded approximately 5 miles above the ground in the Tunguska forest north of Siberia while traveling at an estimated speed of 40 miles per second. An air wave generated by the blast circled the earth twice, with the dust creating unusual sunsets and other atmospheric effects all over Europe. The explosion produced surface temperatures of 160 degrees Fahrenheit and was as powerful as a 100 megaton hydrogen bomb, larger than any built by mankind. The blast knocked down trees within a 20 mile radius and left no crater or meteoric debris. A concentration of ablation products (like iron oxide and glassy spherules of fused rock) stretched on a "tongue" 150 miles northwest of the impact site, which would indicate that the object probably approached from a southeasterly direction. Iridium was found in a peat layer 1 foot below the surface at the site. The object itself is believed to have been small, perhaps only 100 to 300 feet in diameter, which would explain why no astronomical sightings were made prior to the impact.
(Real world note: This actually happened - most likely by a small comet, though not everyone agrees. To find out more, try Googling "Tunguska".)
