The shock wave of the meteor that hit Russia in February circled the Earth twice in three days

The data provided by the 20 stations in the International Monitoring Network (IMS) show that the shock wave moved at a speed of about 340 meters per second (1,224 km/h). The last detection of the shock wave was received almost three days after the fireball exploded over the city in the Ural Mountains, and this is how the researchers were able to Calculate the distance traveled by the entire push.

The shock wave created by the meteorite explosion over the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia was so strong that it traveled 85 kilometers, circling the Earth twice in three days. This is according to a new study by Russian scientists.

The impact of the event was discovered through a network of infrasonic stations, operated as part of a global network of the Organization for the Prevention of Nuclear Tests, and designed to locate evidence of nuclear explosions in the atmosphere.

The data provided by the 20 stations in the International Monitoring Network (IMS) show that the shock wave moved at a speed of about 340 meters per second (1,224 km/h). The last detection of the shock wave was received almost three days after the fireball exploded over the city in the Ural Mountains, and this is how the researchers were able to Calculate the distance traveled by the entire push.

The scientists estimate that the explosion had a power equivalent to 460 kilotons of TNT, equal in power to a W88 model thermonuclear warhead carried on a Trident 2 missile.

In a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, the researchers say that the Chelyabinsk event provided valuable data of infrasound propagation in the Earth's atmosphere and will also allow better calibration of the IMS network performance.
The infrasound wave stations were established in preparation for the moment when the Treaty on the Prevention of Nuclear Tests would enter into force, but it never had to test its ability to detect nuclear explosions in the atmosphere because since its establishment, only underground nuclear tests have been carried out. The agreement itself entered into force only last year.

The explosion in February 2013 occurred at an altitude of 30-40 kilometers in the atmosphere, and luckily for the city's residents, it caused only moderate damage, although to many buildings - mainly glass shattering. Doctors treated 1,613 injured following the incident and no fatalities were reported.

Global attention was drawn to the fireball when a large number of amateur photographers began uploading their footage to the Internet. One of the most watched films was the film made by the Russian television network RT, from the amateur photographs - mainly those from the front cameras of cars, and which received over 38 million views.

This is an event 10 times stronger than a similar event that occurred over Indonesia in 2009. This is the most powerful aerial explosion since the meteor explosion over Tungaska in Siberia in 1908, whose power is estimated to be between 3 and 5 megatons of TNT. A fireball event on the order of 500 kilotons of TNT occurs on average once every 75 years.