A meteor that size will typically explode on its own, it's called an air burst. They're usually low density stony meteorites or comet fragments, but not always - the Sikhote-Alin air burst was an iron meteorite. If the conditions are right, a meteor will break up in a way that suddenly exposes a large surface area to ablation, and the sudden increase in heating blasts the object apart. It's not technically an explosion, but only in the way that most Hollywood special effects aren't technically explosions - there's a boom and a lot of fire

The last one was in Brazil in the late 90's, not as large as this one, though in 1993 there was one much larger than this in Itlay at a much higher altitude.

Thank ye. I wasn't sure if there was an astronomical term to differentiate between direct impacts (ala Yucatan) and air bursts (ala Tunguska / yesterday).

You think that special effects in Hollywood films is pretty good, and then something like it happens in real life and you realise that CGI has nothing on Mother Nature. Just, wow!!!

Russians take everything in stride, even random cosmic smitings.

At those speeds it's still an impact whether it's hitting the atmosphere or hitting the ground, the one video with that loud bang gave me a deja'vu moment, remembering when I was a kid before they had banned low altitude supersonic flights over population areas. Man that was one hell of a bang.

First Tunguska, now this - what did poor Russia ever do to those meteors!?

When your country spans 13 time zones it sort of makes an inviting target...

Geotemporal hubris, it'll get you every time.

I've been reading and watching stuff about this most of today, find it very fascinating, though I do feel for those who've been injured.

I'll leave you with this meme...

"IN SOVIET RUSSIA...

SPACE EXPLORE YOU!)"

Well we can thank the Moon that we don't get hit a lot more.