Mystery solved
using Coleman's fireball vortex theory
Coleman P.F.,1998 Identification of the Tunguska "meteor' scientific communication published in the Proceedings of the International Symposium on Tunguska, Krasnoyarsk, June 30-2 July 1998. This Symposium was organised by the Russiuan Academy of Sciences.
Published by Fireshine Press, New Zealand 1998. Quotes are indicated while I have summarised other parts.
Background: "Near Lake Baikal in the swampy coniferous forests on the Tunguska River Basin of Siberia , on June 30 , 1908 a spectacular event took place . The mysterious Tunguska "meteor" phenomenon.....A meteor expert , called Leonid Kulik , went to Tunguska in 1927 to investigate the incident . He was surprised because he has expected there to be a major impact crater . But no such such crater was found or even meteoritic fragments." (above the normal background material).
THERE IS OTHER EVIDENCE THAT DOES NOT AGREE WITH THE METEOR/COMET HYPOTHESIS
Eyewitness accounts describe a fiery ball with a tail and a glowing cylinder that actually showed an acute change in direction( "one report shows the object coming from the southwest and then changed course to the west" something a comet hypothesis is incapable of. (noted in Berlitz (1987). Vasilyev from Tomsk University presented evidence that shows that the vortex continued in a linear path after the explosive phase. The "vector" pattern of the fallen and uprooted trees shows this clearly. Ol'khovatov cited an eyewitness account from Nizshneilimskoye. "the fire ball as it headed towards the ground, flattened into a "flying saucer" shape at ground level whereupon the object changed into two fiery columns"
Conclusion: The evidence suggests that a tornado like funnel burning a combustible gas is the best explanation. The explosion may have been a gas explosion on a large scale but the actual 'meteor' is identified as a vortex fireball-a specific instance of Coleman's theory.
COPYRIGHT 2003