The Enormity of the Asteroid Impact Made the Dinosaurs Extinct, How Big were They?

Jakarta –

Earth is the safest planet for humans to live in compared to other planets. But you need to know, a large asteroid once hit Earth to destroy the life of the dinosaurs.

Hundreds of millions of years ago, the earth was home to one of the most popular organisms in history, the dinosaurs. As quoted from the site World Atlasdinosaurs lived on Earth for 165 million years and they are considered one of the most successful life forms that ever existed.

Unfortunately, the life of the dinosaurs had to end when suddenly an asteroid fell to Earth. This incident occurred 66 million years ago, namely in the Cretaceous period.

At that time, an asteroid with an estimated width of about 10 km destroyed planet Earth and caused a mass extinction. As much as 75% of life on Earth disappeared instantly.

Evidence of the size of the asteroid can be seen from the Chicxulub crater on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. The diameter of the crater which is 180 km wide shows that the asteroid impact that occurred at that time was so powerful.

The super wide asteroid hit Earth at a speed of 12 miles per second (20 kilometers per second). The energy released from the impact was equivalent to detonating 100,000 tons of TNT and generating winds of over 620 miles per hour (1,000 kilometers per hour).

The fall of the asteroid caused a very dazzling reflection of the sun’s light and made the surface of the Earth that was hit burn up instantly. The asteroid impact generates a lot of energy which causes huge tsunamis on several coasts.

Asteroid strikes also cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The earth seemed to change drastically from an oasis to a desert. Therefore, the fall of this asteroid resulted in 75% of life on Earth being destroyed.

Will the Asteroid Fall Again to Earth?

Will the incident that happened millions of years ago happen again one day? In this regard, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is tracking as much potential of the movement of asteroids in outer space as possible.

NASA says most asteroids will most likely never pose a threat to Earth. But some that are located near Earth could one day threaten the life of living things.

The possibility of an existential threat from the asteroid made NASA immediately move to create a guard. Currently, NASA is developing methods that can be used to prevent asteroid impacts, such as the successful asteroid diversion mission that changed the asteroid’s trajectory.

Therefore, if a small or large asteroid is headed for Earth, humans now potentially have the means to prevent its impact simply by moving the asteroid along a different trajectory.

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