<p>The meteorite decelerated from perhaps 30000 mph through friction and impact with the atmosphere, and this made it heat up to an incredible temperature. At this point the rock was boiling and burning, and liquids within it , such as water, became gaseous.</p>

<p>Some small explosions cast off burning pieces of the meteorite, and the major explosion was from the larger chunk being stressed beyond breaking point through pressure from the gases within.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-30T19:49:56.360Z
2013-09-30T19:59:59.467Z
2013-09-30T19:59:59.467Z
Rory Alsop
<p>Same reason as the explosion at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Tunguska event</a> years ago: Pressure, due to boiling water.</p>

<p>Meteors usually cme into our atmosphere at incredible speeds. At these speeds, the meteor is highly affected by the viscosity of air and is heated by compression (and a little bit of friction).</p>

<p>This starts boiling the ice present in the meteor, leading to a pressure buildup. If the conditions are right, it can just explode.</p>

<p>See also: <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v361/n6407/abs/361040a0.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v361/n6407/abs/361040a0.html</a> , <a href="https://physics.stackexchange.com/q/76045/7433">https://physics.stackexchange.com/q/76045/7433</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-30T19:47:36.920Z
2013-10-01T06:02:19.583Z
2017-04-13T12:40:15.377Z
Manishearth
<p>In February, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp5eg_lk8zA" rel="noreferrer">a meteor entered the Earth's atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia</a> and exploded, producing a shockwave blast that damaged hundreds of buildings around the explosion site in Russia.</p>

<p>But why did it explode? Why didn't it simply burn instead?  </p>

<planetary-atmosphere><meteor><explosion>
Why did the Chelyabinsk meteor explode?
Zoltán Schmidt
# Why did the Chelyabinsk meteor explode?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-09-30)

In February, [a meteor entered the Earth's atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp5eg_lk8zA) and exploded, producing a shockwave blast that damaged hundreds of buildings around the explosion site in Russia.

But why did it explode? Why didn't it simply burn instead?

**Tags:** planetary-atmosphere, meteor, explosion


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2013-09-30. Score: 8 | Accepted answer

Same reason as the explosion at the [Tunguska event](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event) years ago: Pressure, due to boiling water.

Meteors usually cme into our atmosphere at incredible speeds. At these speeds, the meteor is highly affected by the viscosity of air and is heated by compression (and a little bit of friction).

This starts boiling the ice present in the meteor, leading to a pressure buildup. If the conditions are right, it can just explode.

See also: <http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v361/n6407/abs/361040a0.html> , <https://physics.stackexchange.com/q/76045/7433>


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### Answer by username_1 on 2013-09-30. Score: 6

The meteorite decelerated from perhaps 30000 mph through friction and impact with the atmosphere, and this made it heat up to an incredible temperature. At this point the rock was boiling and burning, and liquids within it , such as water, became gaseous.

Some small explosions cast off burning pieces of the meteorite, and the major explosion was from the larger chunk being stressed beyond breaking point through pressure from the gases within.


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