Menu

Search

  |   Science

Menu

  |   Science

Search

Asteroids: Simulation shows potentially hazardous asteroid's impact if it crashes into the Atlantic ocean

Michael _ Hiraeth / Pixabay

Asteroids that are classified as potentially hazardous can inflict the most damage out of the kinds of asteroid collisions. A simulation done by astronomers shows what kind of impact a potentially hazardous asteroid would have on the United States if one should ever crash into the Atlantic ocean.

One particular asteroid that NASA is keeping tabs on is asteroid 29075 1950, which is classified as both a near-earth object and a potentially hazardous asteroid. Back in 2002, NASA scientists predicted a one in 300 chance of a collision between the space rock and Earth in the future. The predicted date that this asteroid will be swinging by is on March 16, 2880 and astronomers have looked into the possible effects of this particular asteroid should it hit the Earth.

An asteroid would likely hit water if it ever does collide with Earth as the planet is made up of 70 percent water. Scientists at the University of California Santa Cruz ran a simulation as to what may happen if or when it does crash into the Earth. They found that the crash sent 400-feet waves sweeping onto the Atlantic coast of the United States. The impact could potentially blast through the seafloor.

According to researchers Stephen Ward and Erik Asphaug of the university, “In the movies, they show one big wave, but you actually end up with dozens of waves. The first ones to arrive are pretty small and they gradually increase in height, arriving at intervals of three or four minutes.”

Two hours following the impact, the study also revealed that the 400-foot waves would reach Cape Cod and Cape Hatteras, and four hours after the impact, the waves at least 200-feet high would be experienced by the entire East Coast.

In a separate simulation, scientists found that the impact of an asteroid as big as the one that set off the extinction of the dinosaurs, would have just as deadly an impact on the planet. In the documentary Doomsday: 10 Ways the World will End, the simulation involved the asteroid crashing into the Gulf of Mexico. This would trigger a chain reaction of events.

A cloud of ash would hover over Los Angeles along with big tremors in Southern California. An extremely powerful blast of air would hit New Orleans and Mexico City, killing everyone instantly.

  • Market Data
Close

Welcome to EconoTimes

Sign up for daily updates for the most important
stories unfolding in the global economy.