Scientists find the city of the people of Lot in Jordan: the reason for its destruction was a meteor explosion a thousand times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb
Several years ago, archaeologists began excavations in the ancient city of Tel al-Hamam (the city of the people of Lot), which is located northeast of the Dead Sea, (40 km from the Jordanian capital Amman), which dates back to the Bronze Age.
Scientists found evidence that the city was completely destroyed in 1650 BC, as a result of a massive ice meteor explosion above it.
After years, scientists were able to discover a black layer about 15 meters thick, of wood charcoal, ash, molten bricks and earthenware, 3,600 years old, according to the researchers.
The discovery indicates, according to a report by the Ammon News website, that it was subjected to a firestorm that completely destroyed it, such as the explosion that occurred in 1908 in the Podkamna Tunguska region in Russia, according to the Scientific Reports magazine, quoting the researchers.
Scientists initially believed that the causes of the disaster might be a volcanic eruption, an earthquake, a fire, or a war.
But all of these factors do not cause high melting temperatures of metals, bricks and ceramic pots, and laboratory experiments have shown that this happens only at a temperature of 1500 degrees Celsius and above.
Scientists from the United States, Canada and the Czech Republic participated in the current study, including archaeologists, geologists, geochemists, geomorphologists, mineralogists, paleobotologists, sedimentologists, space impact experts and physicians.
In addition, they discovered that the city was destroyed by the explosion of a large ice meteor that fell on it, by the same mechanism that occurred in the Tunskaya region of Russia.
According to the calculations of experts, the fireball formed above the city at an altitude of about four kilometers above the surface of the earth.
Where the force of the explosion was a thousand times higher than the force of the explosion of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima.
Which immediately led to a fire in the entire city, followed by a striking wave that destroyed all the buildings and destroyed all living creatures in them.
After about a minute, the beating wave and the flames reached the city of Jericho, 22 kilometers west of Tel Al-Hamam, which caused the collapse of its walls and burning completely.
To restore the picture of these events, it took 15 years of drilling operations, for scientists to put in the light of its results a computer model of the explosion.
It relies on indicators of space object collisions and nuclear explosions.
The researchers obtained physical evidence confirming the occurrence of this explosion, including metallic particles that are produced only during collisions and very high pressures.
For example shock quartz, diamanoids (granules of a diamond-like substance), and small balls of molten material composed of vaporized iron and sand.
The researchers also believe that the Tel al-Hamam disaster is the basis of the biblical narrative about the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which according to the description of the Torah, rocks and fire fell on them from the sky, and because of the fires, thick smoke rose and all the inhabitants of the two cities died.
It dates back to the period between 3500-1540 BC;
Noting that the city was suddenly abandoned;
According to preliminary research.
Most of the evidence also indicates that the city of Sodom and a part of the city of Gomorrah mentioned in the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament were two kingdoms located on the Jordan River towards the north of the Dead Sea at present, and that they were luxurious, green, and their waters were fresh, according to the researchers.
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