The end is nigh! Which major catastrophe is most likely to happen?

Question

Both serious and creative answers are welcome!

Answer 1

We are lucky to be living in a time ot geological quietness. At times through geological history, massive eruptions took place that had even more disastrous consequences than the meteor which was supposed to have killed off the dinosaurs. It was probably such massive volcanic activity that killed off 90% of all life forms at the end of the Permian age (about 200 million years ago). However, that is not likely to happen in the near future (the next few million years).

Global warming will affect the world; but will not be a total disaster, as some life forms will benefit, and humankind will adjust.

Earthquakes and tsunamis are great disasters; but localised to those areas of tectonic activity.

Probably the impact of a massive meteorite will be the most likely, but to alter the whole world, it would have to be several kilometers across. The impact of such a meteorite would be immense. It would most probably land in the ocean, and cause massive tidal waves that would wipe out most of humanity. It would also burn through the atmosphere in a fraction of a second, and produce massive amounts of poisonous nitrous oxide.

For a truly great disaster, we need a super-massive meteorite about a hundred kilometers or more across. If one was on the way towards us, there is nothing humanity could do to stop it (even a smaller meteorite a few kilometers across would be impossible to stop, despite certain science fiction movies). A super-massive meteorite would strike the earth with such a force that it would melt the earth's crust for hundreds of kilometers around, and rain molten rock over the planet. The shock wave would be so great that every structure on earth would be destroyed. Those living on the opposite side of the earth to the impact site would fare no better, because of the shock wave travelling through the earth. Those in some remote areas might survive for a few hours.

As another writer noted, there is a web site somewhere, where a model was developed, showing the impact of such a strike. Unfortunately, I also lost the link.

Answer 2

While volcanic erruptions and flooding and tsunamis will do quite nicely for wiping out life in a small area, or even a large region, none of these are capable of doing away with all life on the planet.

Global warming is a weak solution suggested by those who think only human life is important. As soon as we are gone, or at least enough of us are gone and our industrialized civilizations have collapsed, global warming will be healed by the natural forces of this planet.

For truly catastrophic results of biblical proportion I vote for a large meteor striking the planet. There used to be a link for determining the results of a meteor striking the earth, but, as a result of a very personal disaster, I have lost the link.

As I recall a meteor of nickel-iron composition, about 10 km in diameter, striking the planet at a speed of 22,000 kph should do all life on the planet to death. Some bacteria and stuff may survive for a few months, but not much longer.

Answer 3

The collapse of the Antarctic Ice Shelves due to global warming is a strong possiblity.
This could raise Sea-Levels by 6 metres - which is enough to flood Miami, New York, Seattle, coastal Louisiana, much of England, pretty much the entirety of the Netherlands, Northern Italy, the coast all around the Gulf States, Karachi and surrounding land in Pakistan, Mumbai in India, much of Bangladesh, the entire Ho Chi Minh area, Shanghai .. the list goes on.

The effects of this could be extremely profound.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

According to some biblical scholars, the US is not even mentioned in the end time picture, which means that we probably will be under another country or leaders' rule in the future. We will more than likely lose our power when we lose our access to oil.

Answer 6

Global warming....Unless we don't get our act together and start saving energy and saving water we're stuffed. That is unless someone invents water that can be made in a factory and maybe we should go back to using candles.

Answer 7

We'll get caught in a space time bubble, and be forced to watch re-runs of Seinfeld for the rest of eternity.