02 · LORE
551 FILES·LAST 1D AGO
Russia / USSR1991-04-12civilian claim

Sasovo Explosion Crater

At 1:34 a.m. on April 12, 1991, an explosion near Sasovo, Ryazan Oblast, gouged a 28-meter-wide crater with no trace of conventional explosive residue, detonator hardware, or blast shrapnel. Witnesses had observed large glowing spheres drifting over the site hours earlier, and a tree ten meters from the epicenter was unscathed.

At 1:34 a.m. on April 12, 1991, an explosion near Sasovo, Ryazan Oblast, gouged a 28-meter-wide crater with no trace of conventional explosive residue, detonator hardware, or blast shrapnel.

Brief

At 1:34 a.m. on April 12, 1991, an explosion near Sasovo, Ryazan Oblast, gouged a 28-meter-wide crater with no trace of conventional explosive residue, detonator hardware, or blast shrapnel. Witnesses had observed large glowing spheres drifting over the site hours earlier, and a tree ten meters from the epicenter was unscathed. Military investigators including Colonel Prodan and fire chief Matveyev, both experienced with industrial explosions, stated the blast pattern was unlike any conventional detonation. The absence of nitrogen compounds, detonator hardware, or shrapnel ruled out munitions, mining explosives, and gas. A secondary unexplained explosion occurred in 1992 some nine kilometers away, also leaving a crater. Russian geophysicists proposed tectonic hydrogen degassing as the most plausible mechanism; the CIA FOIA reading room holds a declassified assessment of diverging theories on the cause.

Metadata

Date
1991-04-12
Year
1991
Location
Sasovo, Ryazan Oblast, Russia
Region
Russia / USSR
Status
confirmed
Tag
civilian claim
Primary
Diverging Options on Cause of Sasovo Explosion
Source type
html
Sources
3

Key Points

  • At 1:34 a.m. on April 12, 1991, an explosion near Sasovo, Ryazan Oblast, gouged a 28-meter-wide crater with no trace of conventional explosive residue, detonator hardware, or blast shrapnel.
  • Witnesses had observed large glowing spheres drifting over the site hours earlier, and a tree ten meters from the epicenter was unscathed.
  • Military investigators including Colonel Prodan and fire chief Matveyev, both experienced with industrial explosions, stated the blast pattern was unlike any conventional detonation.
  • The absence of nitrogen compounds, detonator hardware, or shrapnel ruled out munitions, mining explosives, and gas.

Most Interesting

  • A secondary unexplained explosion occurred in 1992 some nine kilometers away, also leaving a crater.
  • At 1:34 a.m. on April 12, 1991, an explosion near Sasovo, Ryazan Oblast, gouged a 28-meter-wide crater with no trace of conventional explosive residue, detonator hardware, or blast shrapnel.
  • Military investigators including Colonel Prodan and fire chief Matveyev, both experienced with industrial explosions, stated the blast pattern was unlike any conventional detonation.

Timeline

  1. 1991-04-12 · Encounter

    At 1:34 a.m. on April 12, 1991, an explosion near Sasovo, Ryazan Oblast, gouged a 28-meter-wide crater with no trace of conventional explosive residue, detonator hardware, or blast shrapnel.

  2. 1991 · Source record

    Diverging Options on Cause of Sasovo Explosion is the preferred source material attached to this encounter.

Sources

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