4 ms·

Except any sound before the initial explosion would be impossible. The meteor would be traveling faster than the speed of sound, the first thing felt or heard b

Except any sound before the initial explosion would be impossible. The meteor would be traveling faster than the speed of sound, the first thing felt or heard by anyone would be the light and heat of the explosion followed by the shockwave. When anything combustible is aerosolized and mixed with oxygen, it allows it to explode. This is how thermobaric explosives work https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermobaric_weapon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermobaric_weapon see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_explosion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_explosion Gunpowder doesn't need oxygen, but it burns instead of exploding. If there was an initial set of fires and smaller explosions that dispersed unburned gunpowder and wood/grain dust into the sky, once it was dispersed a flash could have spread through the dust cloud and created a huge explosion as described. This theory would explain both the initial disturbances and the huge explosion at the end, but I don't see it mentioned anywhere.

nl 7y ago
If the meteor passed overhead and then exploded some distance away you'd get the sound before the shockwave. Perhaps the passby tore the roof off the armory and sucked black powder into the air, and then the impact shockwave caused a fuel/air-like explosion? Also note that the description is by survivors, so the sequence of sounds maybe different away from the impact.
Accujack 7y ago
> If there was an initial set of fires and smaller explosions that dispersed unburned gunpowder and wood/grain dust into the sky, once it was dispersed a flash could have spread through the dust cloud and created a huge explosion as described. That was my thought too, especially with the description of the initial rumbling noises. Gunpowder burning in a small space might well provide the energy needed to disperse something flammable in a cloud above the armory which could then be ignited at some interval after it was created, providing a fuel-air explosion above ground level which would explain the over pressure damage without burning, the shape of the mushroom cloud, and the magnitude of the explosion.

nl 7y ago

If the meteor passed overhead and then exploded some distance away you'd get the sound before the shockwave. Perhaps the passby tore the roof off the armory and sucked black powder into the air, and then the impact shockwave caused a fuel/air-like explosion? Also note that the description is by survivors, so the sequence of sounds maybe different away from the impact.

Accujack 7y ago

> If there was an initial set of fires and smaller explosions that dispersed unburned gunpowder and wood/grain dust into the sky, once it was dispersed a flash could have spread through the dust cloud and created a huge explosion as described. That was my thought too, especially with the description of the initial rumbling noises. Gunpowder burning in a small space might well provide the energy needed to disperse something flammable in a cloud above the armory which could then be ignited at some interval after it was created, providing a fuel-air explosion above ground level which would explain the over pressure damage without burning, the shape of the mushroom cloud, and the magnitude of the explosion.