Blast wave possibility

[amashilu]

I have been mulling over two things, but will combine them here and hope that works as one message.

Things that could result from a major blast wave (either a plasma ball or a geologist's explosion or something else):

Yuri D's pronounced "vein outlines" on his arms.
Yuri D's gray foam from mouth
Yuri K's badly burnt leg
Other burns (Zina, for example)
Severe injuries of the ravine 4
Radiation
Teddy's tree having been blasted? and fallen in 1959?

If a major blast wave occurred, the ravine 4 would have been hit hard and all four of their bodies thrown by the impact, ending up where they died.

Lyuda:  "The said damage was probably caused by an impact of great force causing severe closed lethal trauma to the chest of Dubinina. The trauma was caused during life and is the result of high force impact with subsequent fall, throw or bruise to the chest of Dubinina."

Zolotaryev: " ... The above mentioned multiple fractures of Zolotaryov’s ribs with hemorrhaging into the pleural cavity were caused in vivo as an effect of a high-power impact to the chest of Zolotaryov at the moment of his fall, squeezing or throwing."

Tibo:  "...his death was the result of a closed comminuted pressure fracture ... The above-mentioned extensive comminuted fracture of the base and the vault of the cranium are .... the result of a great force with the subsequent falling, hurling and concussion of Thibeaux-Brignolle."

This does not explain, of course, why they had left the tent, but just for the sake of discussion, we could surmise they were all down in the area of the cedar / den / ravine, and a pressure wave exploded, killing at least six of them.

(Second thing I've been thinking about:) When we look at the photos and see Yuri D and Yuri K lying near the cedar, it is actually tricky to not automatically associate them with having died right there. Many people looking at this mystery have agreed that these two were moved after death, as their arms are lifted and frozen into the having-been-dragged position, and the liver mortis is upside-down. I have to remind myself frequently that they probably died somewhere else, maybe just 10 feet away, maybe 20 or farther, and then were dragged into their resting place.

So the ravine 4, Yuri K, and Yuri D were all hit squarely by a pressure wave, while possibly Rustem, Igor, and Zina were not in the direct line of blast. It was these three who tried to take care of the wounded and dead.

Not a theory, just musing.

[GlennM]

It just seems that someone else who was there in the general area would have said something to the investigators. I am thinking of distant cannonading in wars.

There is certainly nothing wrong with your preliminary theorizing. Please continue.

[amashilu]

It just seems that someone else who was there in the general area would have said something to the investigators. I am thinking of distant cannonading in wars.

There is certainly nothing wrong with your preliminary theorizing. Please continue.

I think I recall a couple of people saying there were balls of light and distant booming coming from the general area where the hikers were that night.

[GlennM]

That is grist to the mill. Their testimony will strengthen your position.  It may also be worth  it  to see if members of the Blinov group had relevant  information.

From them 2013 Slobsov interview " Question: And did you hear that they found burnt trees nearby in the forest, and that there were craters on the other side of the mountain.

BS: No."

[ahabmyth]

Thinking blast theory unlikely as the force applied (unless right above them) would also have flattened trees and earth in quite a substantial area, but yes the location of the tent would be devastating,spreading the groups equipment all over the place.

[OLD JEDI 72]

Ivanov said the tops of the trees were burnt.

[amashilu]

Thinking blast theory unlikely as the force applied (unless right above them) would also have flattened trees and earth in quite a substantial area, but yes the location of the tent would be devastating,spreading the groups equipment all over the place.

ahabmyth, I'm unsure of what you mean? I'm not suggesting anything about the tent here.

[Arjan]

In case it had been huge explosion by gun powder, or comparably slow speed explosives, trees had been unearthed etc.

Personally I think that it had been a huge blast high in the air - meteor or so - causing a so-called 'Friedlander waveform'
See for more information about a Friedlander waveform: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blast_wave.

If this had been the case: the group members in the ravine had been hit by an hypersonic pressure wave causing an overpressure during a few millisecond, breaking the ribcages of Semyon and Lyudmila (standing in the ravine that serves as a lense for the pressure wave resulting converting the pressure twice around the ribcage).
Thibo had been standing on the edge of the ravine where the pressure wave hitting the edge had been diverted by the convex edge. He had lost consciousness and tumbled sideways sideways to the bottom of the ravine. His head had hit a round stone resulting in the head injury described in the post mortem report.

The pressure wave moves so fast that the momentum doesn't last long enough to cause much displacement.

Afterwards, the underpressure will let the ribcage of Lyudmila expand beyond its normal size. This expansion causes that hardly any traces are visible of a broken ribcage on the photo of her in the mortuary.

The subsequent winds during the depression following the pressure wave had let small particles swirl at high speeds in the ravine resulting in penitration of small particles in the eyeballs of Semyon and Lyudmila. Both had been found without eyeballs, because fluid had drained out of their eyeball.

If it smells like a blast wave, if it looks like a blast wave, it may well have been a blast wave that had caused - under these circumstances - fatal injuries to Semyon, Lyudmila and Thibo who had been in the ravine fetching running water for the cold night.

[GlennM]

Arjan, you have identified a blast type and a potential source. You consider the effect of terrain. You remind us of impact damage to victims. All in all it is a good explanation for one important aspect of the mystery; that is Lyuda and Zolo's injuries. Could it also be why they left the tent? Perhaps, in time, additional information may confirm your suspicions. Those answers will not likely come from the information in the current forum archives, but through fact finding.  Just like the discovery of the galleon, Atocha, a lot of unglamorous and tedious archival library research is needed. Wouldn't it be lovely if those records of geological and weather events, civilian and military activities become accessible through AI queries?