A dramatic computer-animated simulation, produced by NHK Japan and the National Film Board of Canada, depicts what would happen if an asteroid measuring 500 kilometers (300 mi) in diameter collided with Earth.
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The massive asteroid -- larger than Japan's main island of Honshu -- is traveling at a speed of over 720,000 kilometers per hour (450,000 mph) when it crashes into the Pacific about 1,500 kilometers (1,000 mi) south of Japan. The impact causes the crust of the Earth to peel away like the skin of an orange, in what is called a "crust tsunami." Japan and a large portion of Asia are disintegrated, and chunks of burning rock as large as city blocks are hurled into the atmosphere before raining back down on the planet.
The crater from the impact measures 4,000 kilometers (2,500 mi) across, and the rim stands 7,000 meters (23,000 ft), higher than many mountains on Earth today.
Moments after the impact, a blanket of rock vapor as hot as the sun spreads quickly across the planet, decimating every living thing in its path. The entire planet is covered within one day. The oceans boil under the intense heat, evaporating at a rate of 5 centimeters (2 in) per second until they vanish.
After a year, the rock vapor starts to dissipate and temperatures begin to drop. Within 1,000 years, the evaporated water vapor -- which does not escape into space due to the Earth's size and gravity -- cools, condenses, and falls back as torrential rain. The oceans start to fill, and life begins again.
It is thought that asteroid impacts of this magnitude have happened six times in the past.
This simulation was featured in "Miracle Planet" (Episode 1 - The Violent Past), a five-part documentary about the 4.6-billion-year history of the Earth.
AdelaideBen
Now there's a cheerful way to start the day. I think I'll just take the day off today... ?:^)
[]James
All the more reason to get the Mars colonies on the go. We need some planetary redundancy!
[]fishy
Yes.
[]Seph
Could you please get rid of the Scientology ads?
[]Thom
"decimating every living thing in its path" - "Decimating" is not the word you want, as it means to kill or destroy one tenth of a group; perhaps "annihilating" or "utterly destroying" would be better.
[]Cook C
My suggestions: roasting, frying, barbecuing, sizzling.
[]Jon
The asteroid kinda looks like the death star.
[]Mirage_GSM
Some contradictory info in there...
[]It says an asteroid like that impacted over 4 billion years ago. Also impacts of that magnitude are supposed to have happened 6 times in the past. Not really likely given the earths age of 4.6 billion years.
Rolf Zhong
Actually, yes. In the early solar system there would have been many Kuiper and Oort objects of this size wizzing about to and fro. The moon was formed by a very large object, larger than 500km, impacting the earth. Instead of the rock vapour bubble, it actually 'pops' out and becomes a binary system, Earth and Moon. These would have happened early on and any impact would have reset the clock of life for earth.
It's probable this happened many times in the first few billion years of earth's history. Note Gaia and one Pangaean continent. How would you get that?
Hmm. Maybe you hit the earth with something very large and the bubble settles to a continent after a while, then they split, etc.
[]Tim
We live Rite?
[]Leon
What I don't get is that in the movie it says the earth was hit 4 billion years ago by such an asteroid. But it is a well known fact that the earth was created only 5000 years ago.
This is all bogus!
[]TeeDot
lol leon mirage answered your question...and if you were educated in elementary school you would know the earth is some odd billions of years old even in its primordial era it was still alive just a hot molten rock like that asteroid maybe you are referring to 5000 years ago is when we humans began colonizing on this tiny rock we call the Earth.
[]Jimmy Porter
From the looks of the event, there would be no pain. The heat would be what would kill us first and everything else too. It is a good way to start over though as the place would be sterile for a while. Where then did all the species arrive from? Look at the rich diversity of earth today. Where did it all come from???? How do I justify the existance of God, when this happens for no other reason that the meteior was in the wrong spot when earth came by. Do we just stand and watch everything burn up, and then God, why??? Or do I come to terms of the existance of God?
[]Jack Boday
Very enlightening film. I like AdelaideBen's comment..."Now there's a cheerful way to start the day." When we are born into this life, there were never any guarantees, except that we will die. So, we live with it. Leon! "....But it is a well known fact that the earth was created only 5000 years ago"?? My man, C'mon! God has never hinted at the age of the earth. The Holy Scriptures, my friend, are a history of FAITH; itThey are not a timeline. In any case, we all just do the best we can while draw breath. Abraham Lincoln said, "Whatever you are, be a good one". There'd not a darned thing we can do about it so... relax. Besides, it is a commonly known fact that the earth with come to an end December, 2012. I know, I saw the movie (snicker).
[]AJ
OK, but why does the asteroid appear to be hot, even volcanically active, before it encounters the atmosphere?
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