The history of the Earth knows many cases of collisions of our planet with cosmic bodies of different sizes.
Most often, these are small asteroids that burn up in the atmosphere without causing significant harm.
But what if a truly gigantic meteorite hits the Earth? What catastrophic consequences could that have?
Dimensions of dangerous objects
For a global catastrophe to occur that threatens the existence of civilization, the size of the asteroid must be impressive.
According to scientists, its diameter should exceed 1 km. Such a space rock already has colossal kinetic energy upon collision.
For comparison: the asteroid that destroyed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago was about 10 km wide. And the famous Arizona meteorite crater basin was formed by the impact of a 50-meter celestial body. So 1 km is a truly gigantic size for a meteorite stone!
Immediate consequences of the fall
So, what happens at the very moment when a kilometer-long asteroid crashes into the earth's crust at a tremendous speed? A giant crater tens and hundreds of meters deep forms at the impact site.
The kinetic energy will cause powerful seismic tremors - in fact, a global earthquake of enormous magnitude over 10 points.
There will be a colossal release of hot rocks and dust into the atmosphere, which will cover the sky over almost the entire hemisphere.
Destructive tsunamis will begin if the epicenter is in the ocean. As a result of direct impact and accompanying phenomena, from 10% to 40% of the entire population of the planet may die.
Climate change on the planet
The long-term climate impacts will be even more fatal for civilization. The release of kilometer-thick layers of dust will dramatically cloud the planet's atmosphere.
There will be insufficient sunlight for photosynthesis, which could lead to mass plant die-offs and disruption of food chains.
There will be colder weather and dark, long winters that will last for decades. The average temperature will drop by 6-8 degrees. There may even be a mini-ice age lasting 500 to 1000 years until the climate stabilizes completely.
Such catastrophic weather conditions will make agriculture impossible on the previous scale. The threat of hunger and shortages of all kinds of resources will increase sharply. People's lives will turn into a constant struggle for survival.
Man-made disasters
In addition to natural disasters, large-scale man-made disasters will accompany an asteroid attack.
The strongest tremors will disable nuclear power plants in the area of the celestial body's fall, which could provoke powerful radiation emissions and contamination of the surface.
Hydroelectric power plants and dams will collapse, causing flooding over vast areas. Large-scale fires will occur due to the destruction of cities and industrial facilities. Main gas and oil pipelines will fail, which will further exacerbate the energy shortage.
An asteroid over 1 km in diameter could fall on Earth and end up in such a nightmare scenario. And if the collision occurs in a densely populated area of Europe, Asia or North America, the destruction of civilization is inevitable. It will take thousands of years for humanity to recover to its previous level...
So should we be afraid of a giant meteorite falling in the foreseeable future? According to scientists' calculations, the probability of such a catastrophic scenario is extremely low - about one chance in 500,000 over the next century.
So, most likely, humanity will be able to avoid an apocalyptic collision with a kilometer-long asteroid. Although it is not worth completely excluding such a threat - after all, if you are unlucky, the consequences will be truly fatal for all living things on Earth.
We will have to think seriously about early detection systems for dangerous objects and possible measures to repel them while they are still far away in space.
Impact on the evolution of the planet
No matter how devastating the impact of the giant meteorite, life on the planet will eventually recover.
After creating a comfortable climate, in hundreds and thousands of years the Earth's biosphere will again be filled with diverse organisms. Moreover, their evolution may take a completely different path after such a large-scale reboot.
New, previously unknown biological species will emerge, adapted to the post-apocalyptic conditions of the planet. The human population will also be restored - from the few surviving groups. Technological progress will have to start practically from scratch.
But if people can learn the right lessons from the global tragedy, then the new civilization will develop more harmoniously and with care for the fragile nature of the planet.
And then, after many millennia, a cosmic impact, instead of an apocalypse, will turn out to be just another turn in the natural evolution of the Earth and humanity.
Earlierwe told you about the most mysterious air crashes of all time.
