# What kind of body, if any, caused the Tunguska explosion? · 1908 Tunguska event > Five answers have been proposed. A fragment of a comet, largely ice, that vaporised completely. leads, with evidence 2 for, 1 against: partly supported… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tunguska-event/questions/QST0D4ECARP6DFM/what-kind-of-body-if-any-caused-the-tunguska-explosion Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-26T11:58:57+00:00 --- **0** # What kind of body, if any, caused the Tunguska explosion? Asked 26 Oct 2026 by [**apollo** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)·5 answers·0·0 following **Most likely: a stony asteroid some 50–80 m across that broke up and exploded about 8.5 km up** Ahead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted. ## Where it stands Five answers have been proposed. A fragment of a comet, largely ice, that vaporised completely. leads, with evidence 2 for, 1 against: partly supported by its tests. Four are still possible. Of the two narrower questions under it, none is answered yet. ## Why it matters Without a fragment, the nature of the body is inferred from the burst height, the energy, the tree fall and microscopic debris, and the models allow more than one answer⁠[[1]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4EBY2E0M3E/hydrocode-simulations-of-asteroid-airbursts-and-constraints)⁠[[2]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4EBX367RST/computation-of-a-possible-tunguskas-strewn-field). It matters for how often such events happen and how they would be detected. ## Answers 5 [**A fragment of a comet, largely ice, that vaporised completely.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tunguska-event/answers/ANS0D4ECD6T0HRP/a-fragment-of-a-comet-largely-ice-that-vaporised-completely) Partly supported by its tests Evidence: 2 for, 1 against Most likely [**A stony asteroid some 50–80 m across that broke up and exploded about 8.5 km up.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tunguska-event/answers/ANS0D4ECBZR58RW/a-stony-asteroid-some-5080-m-across-that-broke-up-and) Supported by its tests Evidence: 3 for, 1 against Most likely [**An iron asteroid that passed through the atmosphere on a grazing path and returned to space.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tunguska-event/answers/ANS0D4ECE627XBC/an-iron-asteroid-that-passed-through-the-atmosphere-on-a) Failed a test; not refuted outright Evidence: 1 for, 1 against Disputed [**No cosmic body; a terrestrial eruption of gas or a geophysical event.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tunguska-event/answers/ANS0D4ECEXG68YC/no-cosmic-body-a-terrestrial-eruption-of-gas-or-a) Failed a test; not refuted outright Evidence: 1 for, 1 against Disputed [**None of these.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tunguska-event/answers/ANS0D4ECFMY211N/none-of-these) Not tested enough to call either way Evidence: none yet Still possible ## History 1. 1975[Ben-Menahem: seismic arrivals at Irkutsk give an explosion about 8.5 km above the ground.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4EBYA8784H/source-parameters-of-the-siberian-explosion-of-june-30-1908)Against: No cosmic body; a terrestrial eruption of gas or a geophysical event. 1. 1993[Chyba et al. puts forward: a stony asteroid some 50–80 m across that broke up and exploded about 8.5 km up.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4EBXB00B7K/the-1908-tunguska-explosion-atmospheric-disruption-of-a) 1. 1993[Chyba et al.: entry models put the disruption of a stony body of this size at about the observed height.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4EBXB00B7K/the-1908-tunguska-explosion-atmospheric-disruption-of-a)For: A stony asteroid some 50–80 m across that broke up and exploded about 8.5 km up. 1. 1993[Chyba et al.: entry models have icy and carbonaceous bodies bursting higher than observed.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4EBXB00B7K/the-1908-tunguska-explosion-atmospheric-disruption-of-a)Against: A fragment of a comet, largely ice, that vaporised completely. 1. 2007[Kundt puts forward: no cosmic body; a terrestrial eruption of gas or a geophysical event.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4EC27859RR/tunguska-1908-and-its-relevance-for-comet-asteroid-impact) 1. 2010[Melott et al. puts forward: a fragment of a comet, largely ice, that vaporised completely.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4EC1QM08DE/cometary-airbursts-and-atmospheric-chemistry-tunguska-and-a) 1. 2020[Khrennikov et al. puts forward: an iron asteroid that passed through the atmosphere on a grazing path and returned to space.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4EC1ZE2PDF/on-the-possibility-of-through-passage-of-asteroid-bodies) 1. 2020[Khrennikov et al.: modelling shows 50–200 m iron bodies can survive a grazing passage and exit.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4EC1ZE2PDF/on-the-possibility-of-through-passage-of-asteroid-bodies)For: An iron asteroid that passed through the atmosphere on a grazing path and returned to space. 1. 2024[Carbognani et al.: no macroscopic fragment has been found in a century of searches.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4EBX367RST/computation-of-a-possible-tunguskas-strewn-field)Against: A stony asteroid some 50–80 m across that broke up and exploded about 8.5 km up. 1. 2024[Carbognani et al.: orbital statistics favour an asteroidal origin.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4EBX367RST/computation-of-a-possible-tunguskas-strewn-field)For: A stony asteroid some 50–80 m across that broke up and exploded about 8.5 km up. 1. 2024[Carbognani et al.: tree-fall modelling favours inclinations of about 30–45°, not a grazing path.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4EBX367RST/computation-of-a-possible-tunguskas-strewn-field)Against: An iron asteroid that passed through the atmosphere on a grazing path and returned to space. 1. 2026[Ol'khovatov: the nearest weather log records sharp cloud increase and later storms, read by one researcher as fitting a…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4EC2F20PEH/the-1908-tunguska-event-in-data-of-the-nearest-weather)For: No cosmic body; a terrestrial eruption of gas or a geophysical event. 1. 26 Oct 2026Asked on this site ## Discussion 0 [Add to the discussion](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/tunguska-event/questions/QST0D4ECARP6DFM/what-kind-of-body-if-any-caused-the-tunguska-explosion%23discussion) Help with this question [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ] [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/tunguska-event/questions/QST0D4ECARP6DFM/what-kind-of-body-if-any-caused-the-tunguska-explosion%23add-answer) [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ] [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/tunguska-event/questions/QST0D4ECARP6DFM/what-kind-of-body-if-any-caused-the-tunguska-explosion%23add-evidence) [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ] [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/tunguska-event/questions/QST0D4ECARP6DFM/what-kind-of-body-if-any-caused-the-tunguska-explosion%23add-question) [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ] [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/tunguska-event/questions/QST0D4ECARP6DFM/what-kind-of-body-if-any-caused-the-tunguska-explosion%23add-source) Where it fits 1908 Tunguska event **What kind of body, if any, caused the Tunguska explosion?** Key question · you're here [Did the explosion leave a magnetic signature in the ground at the epicentre?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tunguska-event/questions/QST0D4ECBQY6AFV/did-the-explosion-leave-a-magnetic-signature-in-the-ground)Most likely · the anomalies reflect the local geology only [How much energy did the explosion release?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tunguska-event/questions/QST0D4ECB0G12FX/how-much-energy-did-the-explosion-release)Most likely · about 10–15 Mt (range 10–40 Mt), from barograms, seismograms and forest damage scaled to nuclear tests [ Ask a question under this one ]