Russian Scientists Search for 'Cosmic Matter' Near Site of Tunguska Blast - Coast to Coast AM
Scientists in Russia are studying sediment from a Siberian lake in the hope of finding 'cosmic matter' which will confirm that the Tunguska explosion was caused by a meteor entering Earth's atmosphere. While this hypothesis for the mysterious 1908 event, which saw an enormous blast flatten 80 million trees over an area of 830 square miles, has already been largely accepted by the scientific community, it remains unproven. Over the years, some rogue researchers have put forward alternative possibilities for what could have been behind the incident, including the fantastic suggestion that Nikola Tesla was somehow to blame for the event.
Now a new expedition reportedly featuring experts from four scientific organizations in Russia looks to put an end to the speculation. "The mystery of the Tunguska Catastrophe worries both the scientists and the public," said Dr. Arthur Meidus, one of the researchers working on the project, "many of us still hope to unravel the scenario of 1908 disaster." The focus of the study centers around sediment found at the depths of a remote lake located approximately 25 miles from what is believed to have been the epicenter of the blast. "Spring-autumn wastewaters and the Lakura River brought traces of the Tunguska catastrophe to this lake," Meidus explained.
By determining which layer of sediment can be connected to the time frame of the Tunguska blast, the researchers hope to examine this material using what are described as "modern methods of microanalysis" using advanced scientific techniques. If the explosion were truly caused by a meteor entering the Earth's atmosphere, they say, then the study should find "microparticles of extraterrestrial origin" in the sand extracted from the lake. Such a discovery, the research team contends, would finally close the case once and for all. One can only hope that this attempt at solving a decades-old Russian mystery goes better than the reopened Dyatlov Pass investigation from last year that we're still waiting to be resolved.
Scientists in Russia are studying sediment from a Siberian lake in the hope of finding 'cosmic matter' which will confirm that the Tunguska explosion was caused by a meteor entering Earth's atmosphere. While this hypothesis for the mysterious 1908 event, which saw an enormous blast flatten 80 million trees over an area of 830 square miles, has already been largely accepted by the scientific community, it remains unproven. Over the years, some rogue researchers have put forward alternative possibilities for what could have been behind the incident, including the fantastic suggestion that Nikola Tesla was somehow to blame for the event.
Now a new expedition reportedly featuring experts from four scientific organizations in Russia looks to put an end to the speculation. "The mystery of the Tunguska Catastrophe worries both the scientists and the public," said Dr. Arthur Meidus, one of the researchers working on the project, "many of us still hope to unravel the scenario of 1908 disaster." The focus of the study centers around sediment found at the depths of a remote lake located approximately 25 miles from what is believed to have been the epicenter of the blast. "Spring-autumn wastewaters and the Lakura River brought traces of the Tunguska catastrophe to this lake," Meidus explained.
By determining which layer of sediment can be connected to the time frame of the Tunguska blast, the researchers hope to examine this material using what are described as "modern methods of microanalysis" using advanced scientific techniques. If the explosion were truly caused by a meteor entering the Earth's atmosphere, they say, then the study should find "microparticles of extraterrestrial origin" in the sand extracted from the lake. Such a discovery, the research team contends, would finally close the case once and for all. One can only hope that this attempt at solving a decades-old Russian mystery goes better than the reopened Dyatlov Pass investigation from last year that we're still waiting to be resolved.
