The Eastern Mediterranean airburst, 2002
A Hiroshima-sized blast over the sea, at a tense moment in world politics.
Key facts
- When
- 6 June 2002
- Where
- Over the Mediterranean Sea between Libya and Crete
- What hit
- probably about 5 to 10 m across
- Era
- The sensor age, 2000 onwards
- Location
- 34.00° N, 21.00° E
Roughly 12 to 26 kilotons of TNT.
Similar to the Hiroshima bomb.
What happened
On 6 June 2002 a small asteroid exploded high above the eastern Mediterranean, releasing about as much energy as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It happened over open sea and was recorded by satellites and infrasound stations rather than by eyewitnesses.
The timing caught attention. India and Pakistan, both armed with nuclear weapons, were then in a dangerous stand-off. A senior US Air Force officer later told the US Congress that if a blast like this had happened over that region, it could have been mistaken for a nuclear attack.
Since then, governments have shared information about large fireballs more readily, partly to avoid such misunderstandings.
Effects
None on the ground; the explosion was high above the sea.
The evidence
Satellite detections of the flash and infrasound records.
Did you know?
Airbursts of Hiroshima size are thought to happen somewhere on Earth roughly once a decade or so.
Satellite sensors see only the brightest fireballs; smaller ones are found by camera networks.
Related pages
How is impact energy measured? See energy explained, or try the impact calculator.