Tunguska Lake
Our planet is full of secrets and mysteries. Every day people witnesses the inexplicable through the news, TV and the Internet–leaving them difficult to surprise with a story of the truly extraordinary. Enter the unsolved mystery that has existed for over 100 years, still mystifying all who discuss it, the secret of the Tunguska meteorite.
Over a century ago a powerful explosion occurred near the Stony Tunguska River in an area now called Krasnoyarsk Krai, Siberia. Around 7:14 a.m. on June 30, 1908 Tunguska natives in the hills northwest of Lake Baikal observed a column of bluish light, nearly as bright as the sun, moving across the sky. Later a bright flash was followed by a strong explosion that rocked the locals who witnessed the event. A fire erupted burning an enormous amount of trees around the area, the result turned the green taiga forest into a lifeless desert. In total the explosion flattened over 80 million trees in a 2,150 square kilometers (830 square miles) area.
Speculation on this event has taken many forms but most people and scientist believe the explosion was caused by the air burst of a large meteorite at an altitude of 5–10 km (3–6 miles) above the Earth’s surface. This meteorite has been named the “Tunguska meteorite”.
Scientists have yet to find an unequivocal explanation to the Tunguska phenomenon. The controversy over the various theories is caused due to the lack of proof of an impact crater, where the meteorite would have landed. This missing piece of proof would verify or change the entire understanding of what actually happened on June 30, 1908.
According to Italian scientists, the meteorite is at the bottom of lake Cheko under a silt and water layer. Research has been made, exploring the bottom of lake which revealed the lake bottom to have a cone shape—consistent with other impact craters. Another interesting note is that the lake did not appear on any recorded map until 1929.
Scientists discovered a large reflective object at a depth of 10 meters (30 feet) below the lake bed but were unable to retrieve or excavate. It is said it has the appearance of an extraterrestrial body.
The mystery of Tunguska (Lake Cheko) remains unsolved but each year more details and progress is made to bring us closer to unveiling what lies at the bottom of Lake Cheko.
