1 - Landscape of Mystery

Summary

The introduction opens by asking the reader to imagine encountering the mysterious environment where the Tunguska explosion had occurred. It describes the Tunguska event in broad terms and explains why it remains an unsolved mystery. After reflecting on the potent role of meteorites in world history and the status of mystery as both a property of the natural world and a cultural imposition, the introduction foregrounds the main argument of the book. The site of the Tunguska blast has been a landscape of mystery, where distinctive interactions with the natural world, alternative forms of knowledge, and concerns about catastrophe have dominated environmental relations.