TALL EL-HAMMAM, JORDAN — Scientists discovered that an ancient city near where the Biblical city of Sodom would have been was destroyed centuries ago by a meteor that exploded above the city and burned it to a cinder. Here are the details:


In a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers showed that the ancient city of Tall el-Hammam was struck by a massive airborne explosion with the power of 1,000 atom bombs.


The city was completely destroyed by the resulting firestorm and pressure waves. Its remains are located in Jordan, near Israel’s Dead Sea.


Researchers believe the fiery explosion from up high struck around 3,600 years ago and might have given rise to the story of Sodom, which according to Biblical text was destroyed as punishment for immorality.


The scientists say evidence strongly suggests that the city was struck from above by a meteorite mostly composed of ice, which exploded in the air because of very high temperatures caused by friction in Earth’s atmosphere.


City dwellers who saw the explosion would have been blinded instantly. Clothing and wood burst into flames immediately. Swords, spears and mud bricks melted as the city was engulfed in flames.


The shock wave that followed blew apart the buildings, causing charred bricks to rain down on villages many miles away.


The researchers said none of the 8,000 people or any animals within the city survived — their bodies were torn apart and their bones blasted into small fragments.


A minute after the explosion, the shockwave reached the city of Jericho, 22 kilometers away.


It blew Jericho’s walls down and the city burned to the ground. The soil around Tall el-Hammam was also drenched with salt and could not be farmed for hundreds of years.