Tunguska blast flattened over 2,150 square kilometers of Siberian forest. Over 2,000 square kilometers of forest were flattened by the blast The devastation zone is referred to as the butterfly pattern and is not radially symmetrical The flattened area is comparable in size to the city of Atlanta
The blast flattened over 2,000 square kilometers of old-growth forest—an area comparable to the entire city of Atlanta. The devastation forms a distinctive non-radial "butterfly" pattern, with some trees stripped bare while hill-protected stands remained untouched. Even 19 years later, the landscape still showed massive scarring.
Key Facts
- Over 2,000 square kilometers of forest were flattened by the blast
- The devastation zone is referred to as the butterfly pattern and is not radially symmetrical
- The flattened area is comparable in size to the city of Atlanta
- Telegraph pole trees remained standing but were stripped of branches and bark
- Standing trees in some areas were protected from the blast wave by hills
- Shallow elliptical swamps near the epicenter may have formed from the blast, resembling Carolina bays
- After 19 years of regeneration, the area still showed significant devastation
Source: A 15 Megaton Explosion Over Siberia and Humanity Forgot! by The Randall Carlson