Table of Contents
What if the moon was hit by an asteroid?
The Moon is very big, and any small object hitting it would have very little effect on its motion around the Earth, because the Moon’s own momentum would overwhelm that of the impact. Most asteroid collisions would result in large craters and little else; even the largest asteroid known, Ceres, wouldn’t budge the Moon.
Is the moon the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs?
It was formed when a large asteroid, about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in diameter, struck the Earth….Chicxulub crater.
| Impact crater/structure | |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 150 km (93 mi) |
| Depth | 20 km (12 mi) |
| Impactor diameter | 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) |
| Age | 66.043 ± 0.011 Ma Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary |
What were the effects of the Chicxulub asteroid landing?
The Chicxulub Impact event produced a shock wave and air blast that radiated across the seas, over coastlines, and deep into the continental interior. Winds far in excess of 1000 kilometers per hour were possible near the impact site, although they decreased with distance from the impact site.
What effect did the Chicxulub impact have on Earth?
When ejected material from Chicxulub reentered the atmosphere, it carried climatically-active gases that produced sulfuric acid rain, destroyed the ozone layer, and caused greenhouse warming.
Can the Moon break?
During an explosion, the moon would break apart into many different pieces. Some of these pieces would be large, and other pieces would be small. All of those pieces of moon debris would move in different directions. A weak explosion with larger pieces of debris might create new moons around the Earth.
Can you visit the Chicxulub crater?
You can visit the Museum of Science of the Chicxulub Crater in Merida, Mexico, to learn more about this crater. Scientists believe that the comet that created this crater is also responsible for creating the beautiful blue water sinkholes that dot the area around Merida.
How large was the Chicxulub meteor?
Dino-killing asteroid: How big was it? The dimensions of Chicxulub Crater — about 90 miles wide by 12 miles (20 km) deep — give us a rough idea of the impactor’s size. For example, Siraj and Loeb calculated that the incoming object was likely about 4.3 miles (7 km) wide.
How did the asteroid creating Chicxulub crater affect evolution?
The impact event that formed the Chicxulub crater (Yucatán Peninsula, México) caused the extinction of 75\% of species on Earth 66 million years ago, including non-avian dinosaurs.
“Our hypothesis predicts that other Chicxulub-size craters on Earth are more likely to correspond to an impactor with a primitive (carbonaceous chondrite) composition than expected from the conventional main-belt asteroids,” the researchers wrote in the paper.
Why is Chicxulub the best preserved impact crater on Earth?
Most craters have, of course, been eroded away by Earth’s water and atmosphere – unlike on airless bodies such as the moon which get to keep their craters – but Chicxulub still remains recognizable. It is also the best preserved impact crater similar to those from a period of heavy meteorite bombardment 3.8 billion years ago.
How big was the impact of the asteroid impact on Earth?
The impact created a hole 100 kilometres (62 mi) wide and 30 kilometres (19 mi) deep, leaving a crater mainly under the sea and covered by 600 metres (2,000 ft) of sediment by the 21st century.
What is the connection between the asteroid Chicxulub and Baptistina?
The connection between Chicxulub and Baptistina is supported by the large amount of carbonaceous material present in microscopic fragments of the impactor, suggesting the impactor was a member of an uncommon class of asteroids called carbonaceous chondrites, like Baptistina.