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nykkyo · Aug 30, 2012, 02:52 AM

If one hit the atmosphere at 27 km/s and weighed 5000 kg with a 15 km comma what woukd the damage be?

Curlyben · Aug 30, 2012, 02:54 AM

Well, do your remember the Dinosaurs?

nykkyo · Aug 30, 2012, 03:47 AM

Is there a way to minimize the result, like over a small region?

Curlyben · Aug 30, 2012, 03:48 AM

Or not.
You are talking about and EXTINCTION level event here.
There is NO running or hiding from such an impact..

nykkyo · Aug 30, 2012, 03:52 AM

Do you think Tunguska was ELE? What would be the minimum size and speed of a comet to devastate only a region.

Curlyben · Aug 30, 2012, 03:57 AM

Tunguska was an air burst effect and clearly wasn't ELE.
Also it was TINY compared to what you are suggesting here, being a few 100 meters in size.

Tunguska event - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Have a look at this one as well: Impact event - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The figures you are quoting at the beginning are more in keeping with this event: Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event hence my comment about dinos.

nykkyo · Aug 30, 2012, 04:01 AM

Originally Posted by nykkyo

Do you think Tunguska was ELE? What would be the minimum size and speed of a comet to devastate only a region.

That's what I wanted to know. I was counting on a dirty snoball air burst.

nykkyo · Aug 30, 2012, 04:06 AM

Originally Posted by Curlyben

Tunguska was an air burst effect and clearly wasn't ELE.
Also it was TINY compared to what you are suggesting here, being a few 100 meters in size.

Tunguska event - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Have a look at this one as well: Impact event - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The figures you are quoting at the beginning are more in keeping with this event: Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event hence my comment about dinos.

Thanks. I'm writing a screenplay using that scenario to devastate the Middle East.

Curlyben · Aug 30, 2012, 04:08 AM

Interesting idea..

You'd also be looking at a serious fire storm, just look at the mess in Iraq..

nykkyo · Aug 30, 2012, 04:10 AM

Originally Posted by Curlyben

Interesting idea..

You'd also be looking at a serious fire storm, just look at the mess in Iraq..

Thanks again. I want to keep it scientifically plausible as I can.

nykkyo · Aug 30, 2012, 04:11 AM

Originally Posted by nykkyo

Thanks again. I want to keep it scientifically plausible as I can.

Do you have an inclination of the radius of devastation vs. size?

Curlyben · Aug 30, 2012, 04:16 AM

No idea I'm afraid.
There been so few events documented that it's difficult to ascertain.
I'd use the Tunguska event as a point of reference and work from there.

After all who's to say that some exotic elements within the make up of the meteor couldn't produce significantly more damage during the explosive reaction with the earth's atmosphere..
Kind of like a very dirty nuke.

Curlyben · Aug 30, 2012, 04:23 AM

Worth a read: List of impact craters on Earth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ebaines · Aug 30, 2012, 06:17 AM

I think this conversation is filled with huge exageration. A 5000 Kg comet or meteor is not that huge - perhaps 2 meters in diameter (the coma is immaterial). For comparison, the Chicxulub crater in the Yucatan, which is thought to have wiped out the dinosaurs, was caused by an object estimated at 110 Km in diameter.