Tunguska Event...from the BBC

Nothing But Net • Oct 31, 2001 2:02 am

What amazes me is that dead trees still exist on the landscape after 93 years!

Shouldn't those trees be sawdust by now? Or does radiation really prolong decay?

-- NBN

Oh crap I give up!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1628000/1628806.stm

juju2112 • Oct 31, 2001 2:16 am

hmm.. i'm guessing that you're reffering to this article involving this picture?

Wow... I especially like these two parts:

<i>The explosion, equivalent to 10-15 million tonnes of TNT, occurred over the Siberian forest, near a place known as Tunguska.

An atmospheric shock wave circled the Earth twice. And, for two days afterwards, there was so much fine dust in the atmosphere that newspapers could be read at night by scattered light in the streets of London, 10,000 km (6,213 miles) away.

</i>

Nothing But Net • Oct 31, 2001 2:26 am

I have a lot to learn, my friend.

Will you teach me?

You will be handsomely rewarded, maybe.

-- NBN

juju2112 • Oct 31, 2001 2:38 am

LOL... ahh well. actually, after everyone saying that the geocites linking thing isn't working, i'm kinda proud to actually get one right for a change.

My only question is: What exactly is an "atmospheric shockwave"? It sounds really freaking rad. Especially if it circles the Earth....TWICE.

Count Zero • Oct 31, 2001 10:47 am

Originally posted by juju2112
My only question is: What exactly is an "atmospheric shockwave"? It sounds really freaking rad. Especially if it circles the Earth....TWICE.

A shockwave is just like sound, except it's of gigantic amplitude.

It could have blown your head off.

CyclopONE • Oct 31, 2001 12:41 pm

Here's how I would imagine the shockwave..

Picture a ripple in an otherwise calm pond. The ripples travel out, away from the center of a disturbance and (with enough force), can reach the edge of the pond.

Now, picture this ripple on a sphere, only there's no edge, and a force powerful enough to send a ripple from Siberia all the way to the opposite side of the planet, where it would converge and (since it had enough energy left) ripple out once again, quite possibly back to Siberia.

It's an interesting thing to picture. =)

-Cyc

russotto • Oct 31, 2001 1:10 pm

Originally posted by Nothing But Net

What amazes me is that dead trees still exist on the landscape after 93 years!

Shouldn't those trees be sawdust by now? Or does radiation really prolong decay?

Radiation would prolong decay, but there probably wasn't much radiation far above visible light from the blast. I think most likely what prolongs decay is cold Siberian temperatures.