Meteorites regularly fall on the earth's surface. An attentive observer may notice traces of falling and older objects in the environment. They do not ignore the earthly satellites, regularly bombarding their surface. But most of all, the craters left on the Moon and Mars scare. Their size and monstrous depth suggest sad thoughts about what will happen if a meteorite falls to the Earth.
What meteorite is called fallen
As a rule, only pieces or tiny fragments of a stone that appeared on the earth's surface claim the title of a fallen meteorite. Such a phenomenon occurs under the influence of thermodynamic loading, which is exerted by dense regions of the earth's atmosphere. The whole object explodes or splits, forming meteor showers falling on the surface of the planet. If larger objects passed this barrier without damage, then they leave craters of various sizes, from barely noticeable to giant cavities reaching tens of kilometers.
For example, we can recall June 30, 1908. On that day, a meteorite flew over the taiga, near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River. He exploded in the air, in the immediate vicinity of the Earth. This celestial body left its mark in history under the name of the Tunguska meteorite.
Most small meteorites scatter at a considerable distance from each other, so they are difficult to find. A similar phenomenon is called meteor shower.
Examples of meteorite falls known to science
Over the past 500 years, such serious cosmic bodies have not fallen to the earth's surface to cause a global catastrophe. All the damage caused by accidentally fallen meteorites can be assessed in several residential buildings and a couple of industrial facilities.
Against their background, meteorites of more ancient eras seem especially surprising, leaving behind themselves impressive traces on the surface of the planet:
- South Africa, Wredefort Crater, diameter 300 km;
- Russia, Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, Popigay crater, diameter 100 km;
- Canada, Ontario, Sudbury Crater, 250 km diameter;
- Canada, Quebec, Manicouagan Crater, 100 km diameter;
- Mexico, Yucatan Peninsula, Chixulub Crater, diameter 170 km.
The most ancient representative of the found celestial bodies is the Huangshitai meteorite located in China, in the territory of Xi'an province. Scientists at Oxford University have suggested that this two-ton stone appeared on the earth's surface almost 2 billion years ago. The Gob heavyweight, who was found in the deserts of Namibia, can be worthy of competition. Its dimensions are amazing - almost 60 tons!
When a meteorite falls to Earth
The protection of the Earth’s atmosphere is almost perfect, so extremely large objects fall extremely rarely on the planet’s surface. But the threat still remains.
All means of observation that are currently in the hands of scientists can only form an approximate picture of outer space. Yes, recently, researchers from the United States, China, Russia, Japan and other countries have created a special system for detecting dangerous space bodies. But she sees what happens a little further than the earth's surface. Everything else is outside the field of view of technology, which, undoubtedly, is its weak point. Therefore, the question of what will happen if a meteorite hits the Earth remains open.