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1 Comment What size must an asteroid be to inflict serious damage if it crashes to Earth?
Kids ASK! about Science & Technology
Only an asteroid with a diameter of at least 100 metres (about the size of a soccer field) can cause serious damage if it collides with the Earth.
An asteroid with a diameter of 100 feet, weighing 63,000 tons and with a speed of five miles per second can cause an impact which is several times more than the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima, Japan during World War II. It is said that this could have been the cause of the extinction of dinosaurs, 65 million years ago.
| OBJECT SIZE | IMPACT ON EARTH |
| Up to 10 metres | Explodes harmlessly in the air |
| 50 metres | Explodes in the air and causes some damage on the ground |
| 100 metres | Hits the ground and causes serious damage |
| 1 kilometre | Massive destruction which affects the whole Earth |
| 10 kilometres | Few people will survive anywhere |
References:
- Graham, Ian. (2007). Comets and asteroids. London : Franklin Watts.
- Prinja, Raman. (2007. Comets, asteroids and meteors. Oxford : Heinemann Library.
Want to learn more about asteroids? Here are some recommended resources:
Asteroids, comets and meteorites by Steve Kortenkamp
Publisher: Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2008.
Call No.: J 523.2 KOR
Could an asteroid hit Earth? : asteroids, comets, meteors and more by Rosalind Mist
Publisher: Oxford : Heinemann Library, 2006.
Call No.: J 523.5 MIS
Asteroids by Don Nardo
Publisher: San Diego, Calif. : KidHaven Press, c2002.
Call No.: J 523.44 NAR
For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.
All images were extracted from www.amazon.com.
Answered by Rosjihanah Mon
Librarian
Children’s Services
Posted by Galvin Soh
Librarian
Children’s Services
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