A couple years back, I use to watch many specials on this issue, and they said anything over a 1/2 Kilometer could destroy all life.
1b) And could you feel it if it hit on the other side of the world?
1c) We only know about 10% of earth killing objects, which is a small amount considing the amount that is out there. How close could a earth killing object get before we would take notice, or is it possible for it just to hit with out no warning at all, expect for when you seen it in the sky?
PLEASE ONLY ANSWER WITH REAL NUMBERS, PLEASE NO QUESSING ON THIS ONE! THANK YOU
2007-05-24 08:18:06 · 7 answers · asked by wwick 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Size of Texas state would do it. Look up for it's land area for the number.
2007-05-24 08:25:59 · answer #1 · answered by X Theist 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually I wouldn't be worrying about the size of the object, I'd be worrying about the actual density of the object. Now the last object to hit earth and cause a catastrophic extinction was during the end of the Triassic period. This object was seven miles wide, and yet it didn't kill the entirety of life on earth. Most scientist would agree that an object would have to be at least eleven miles wide to cause a total extinction of life on earth. This is because the matter involved would have to liquify the earth's crust. Plus you must remember that this number is for a object of at least the density of Silica. However if it is of less dense matterial it could just glance off of our atmosphere. The trajectory is also a major factor, if it comes in shallow the impact would be less devistating. If you ask me, give us a comet of at least nine miles in diameter, a dense rock of twelve to fifteen, and a loose rock at least twenty to thirty depending on the density of the matterial inside. Also, if the matterial making up the body is very loosely packed, you could see it shatter on impact with the atmosphere, which will only cause catastrophic fires across the globe. There is life at almost every point on earth. Including underneath the soil. In order to destroy all life, as you so put it. You would have to evaporate the oceans, liquify the crust, and bring it all to a temperature of at least five hundred degrees for a week. Then you can be sure that all the life is gone. The most recent impact caused massive fires, a large flash of heat of five hundred plus for up to twenty seconds, and sent matter raining around the globe. Yet, we still had a few dinosaurs survive to evolve into birds, and mammals to evolve into all of the sub-catagories we have today. Alot of plants died off as well, and yet we still have many trees and plants that existed in the era of the dinosaur.
Just goes to show how resilient life is.
2007-05-24 08:36:43 · answer #2 · answered by ianr1984 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To kill ALL life on Earth, even bacteria? It would have to be about as big as the Moon - it would have to almost completely destroy Earth. Life, particularly microbial life is resilient.
BTW, what killed the dinos has net been settled and is still hotly debated, even though popular science books speak as if it was definitely an impact and there is no other possibility. In fact there is another viable theory: volcano-induced climate change - the Deccan Traps. See web site below:
2007-05-24 09:32:37 · answer #3 · answered by asgspifs 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe the half kilometer you mentioned is 'after' it's passed through the atmosphere.
The one that hit in the Yucatan and killed the dinosaurs (and about 85% ot 90% of all other life) some 65 million years ago was about that size.
Doug
2007-05-24 08:26:28 · answer #4 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
10 on the torino scale
2007-05-24 08:26:57 · answer #5 · answered by Jennifer B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
...a few hundred meter would do that... those over 1km would cause a planetary catastrophe.
2007-05-24 08:26:55 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
about 15km in diameter
2007-05-24 08:37:40 · answer #7 · answered by behzadhooshmand 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋