Has the earth ever been hit with a asteroid and where?

Answer 1

Eventually, sure. But no time soon that we know of. Also, an asteroid need not be a planet-killer, though it will surely make a mighty meteor and a big hole (or splash). Lesser meteroids (mostly comet sheddings; not big enough to own the title of "asteroid") hit the Earth all the time. Many think that the geological record shows that we get a major bombardment about every 26 million years. If so, rest easy, because the last one was 13 million years ago, so we're not due for quite a while.

Answer 2

Yes, the Earth has been hit with asteroids in the past. One well-known event is the impact that formed the Chicxulub crater in Mexico, which is believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs around 66 million years ago. Additionally, smaller impacts occur more frequently but are usually not catastrophic.

Answer 3

The Moon is pelted with small space rocks just as the Earth is, with a couple of exceptions.

1. The Moon is a lot smaller than the Earth, so it is hit less often.

2. The Moon is less massive and its gravity is lower, so the space rocks aren't moving as fast when they hit the Moon as they are when they hit the Earth.

2. The Moon has no atmosphere, so there are no meteors on the Moon; however, we do see the explosions as the Moon is hit by the falling space rocks.

Answer 4

Yes. We believe that the Earth has be hit by asteroids or comets several times.

Some of the impact craters are so huge that they can only be seen from space; some are so old that only radar tomography can reveal them. The Earth is 3/4 covered by oceans, so logically 3/4 of the asteroid impacts probably land in the sea; for example, the Burckle crater in the Indian ocean may have caused tsunamis that caused the "Great Flood" referred to in The Bible and in the Babylonian and Sumerian Gilgamesh epics.

Possibly the most definitive impact is the Chicxulub Crater off the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico; this is the one that we believe killed off 75% of all life on Earth - including all the dinosaurs - 65 million years ago.

Check the links below for a sampling of some of these.

Answer 5

Technically speaking earth does not get hit by asteroids, any body that enters the earths atmosphere changes its status, be it meteor, asteroids, comet etc. Once in the atmosphere it turns into a meteoroid, if it makes it all the way to the surface it becomes a meteorite.

Meteorites hit the earth very regularly. Remember the earth is larger than people give it credit it and there are thousands of empty square miles for a meteorite to hit. In all probability its almost a daily occurrence. They can be a small as a grain of sand by the time the hit.

Major impacts are Tunguska in 1908, although this one is believed to have exploded just before impact.

Meteor Crater in Arizona almost a mile wide, about 50,000 years ago.

And then the big one that hit in the Yucatan peninsula about 65,000,000 years ago. Responsible for the death of the Dinosaurs.

Answer 6

Yes they have. There is evidence that they have. However, one should not confuse the fact that "asteroid" is not the correct term to define the object colliding with the earth. An asteroid is the object when in space. However, when it reaches and goes through the Earth's atmosphere, it becomes known as a "Meteorite".

Answer 7

Yes, _MANY_ times. Open Google Earth, and wander the world looking for circular mountains. Many of those will be the craters left by asteroid impacts.

And remember, the Earth is 3/4 covered with water. We can't see craters on the sea floor.

Answer 8

Yes, many times through the millions of years that Earth has been here, but not very often in terms of the time humans have been on Earth. If they hit Earth, rather than burning up in the atmosphere completely, they are known as meteorites. There are craters from them around Earth. One of the most famous is the one in Arizona.

Answer 9

Yes, Earth has been been hit by an asteroid, many times. The Chicxulub crater is the most famous, because it is believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs and allowed mammals to evolve.

Answer 10

Have you seen the moon's surface lately? The moon has more than its fair share of being hit by comets asteriods and meteorites.