Airburst hypothesis: shallow aerial explosion over Dead Sea. The event is interpreted as an airburst, not a direct impact Came in shallow over the north end of the Dead Sea and exploded Vaporized millions of gallons of Dead Sea water and salt
Researchers interpret the destruction at Tell el-Hammam as an airburst event — a cosmic object exploding in the atmosphere rather than striking the ground directly. The event came in shallow over the north end of the Dead Sea, vaporizing millions of gallons of water and salt. The destruction matrix contains high salt content consistent with Dead Sea evaporation, and the event footprint is comparable to the 1908 Tunguska event in Siberia. A 2025 paper on Science Direct proposes this extraterrestrial airburst as the cause of this Bronze Age catastrophe.
Key Facts
- The event is interpreted as an airburst, not a direct impact
- Came in shallow over the north end of the Dead Sea and exploded
- Vaporized millions of gallons of Dead Sea water and salt
- The destruction matrix contains high salt content from Dead Sea evaporation
- Footprint comparable to the 1908 Tunguska event
- Published in 2021 paper (now 2025) on Science Direct
Related site: Tell el-Hammam — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: Melted Brick, Airborne Pottery, Bones Burned - The Destruction Layer at Tal el-Hammam by The Cosmic Summit