Asteroid Collision

A detailed Summary of Asteroid Collision

Throughout the long history of the Earth, the planet has been struck a number of times by rogue asteroids. I will briefly discuss the effect that such an event could have on the Earth's climate, atmosphere and temperature. A number of problems could arise from such an event, many of which could extend far beyond the immediate strike. The Earth's biosphere could also be significantly impacted by the long-term effects of a meteorite strike. Finally, we will briefly look at the likelihood of future impact, plus some past near misses.

The effects that an asteroid striking the Earth would have are many and varied and mostly depend on the size of the object impacting the ground. The smallest classification of asteroids, ranging in sizes between 10 to 100 meters in diameter would have little long term affect outside the strike zone. A meteorite of this size could cause damage equal to that of a nuclear explosion and cause massive damage and loss of life if it struck a major population center. An object between 100 meters and 1 kilometer is a greater danger. Even at the smaller end of the scale a strike on land could create a crater 3 kilometers wide as well as eject debris 10 kilometers away. Get close to an object of 1 kilomet

The threat of an impact by an asteroid is something that will rarely enter the mind of the common person on a daily basis. However, scientists look to the skies every day, watching for that one stellar object that could cause havoc to the Earth and its inhabitants. Still others research what may happen, and prepare for that day when an asteroid finally does collide with the Earth.

Earth's biosphere is also at risk from an asteroid collision. There are several possible side effects of a collision that could hamper the Earth's ability to support life including energetic weather patterns, temperature changes and oxygen depletion. When impacted by a large enough asteroid, it is possible the Earth's crust could be penetrated and cracked, releasing magma underneath and causing massive volcanic activity. The noxious gases and dust released from this activity, combined with the debris thrown into the atmosphere from the impact, could create a number of problems. As the gases combine with moisture in the air strong acid rain could form. Carried by prevailing winds, the falling acid rain would harm vegetation, pollute the water in rivers, lakes and oceans or contaminate drinking water for humans and animals. It has also been known for dust storms to collide with rainstorms causing a muddy rainfall. After an impact this could be even worse as ash and pollutants in the air create black rain, leaving a thick, sticky residue that is difficult to remove and would damage the land and cause numerous fish kills. It has also been theorized that a scenario similar to a nuclear winter, called impact winter, could happen after an impact. The dus

Some common words found in the essay are:
, Earth Objects, thrown atmosphere, acid rain, striking earth, earth's biosphere, cause massive damage, dust thrown atmosphere, close earth, scale strike, 1 kilometer, massive damage, 100 meters, near misses,

Approximate Word count = 1111
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Science