Chixculub: are more possible (Introduction)

by David Turell , Tuesday, March 21, 2023, 23:30 (612 days ago) @ David Turell

A review of Earth craters says yes:

https://www.sciencealert.com/risk-of-giant-asteroids-hitting-earth-could-be-worse-than-...

"NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center chief scientist, James Garvin, thinks we might have been misreading traces of some of the more serious asteroid strikes that have occurred within the past million years.

"If he's right, the odds of being hit by something nasty could be higher than current estimates predict.

***

"While we can scan the skies for evidence of rocks large enough to potentially put us in a world of pain, the geological record is like a ticker-tape of actual meteorite strikes stretching back through time.

"Unfortunately this record gets harder to read the further back we look, all thanks to Earth's dynamic winds, water, and tectonics constantly wearing at its surface. Even more recent events can be difficult to interpret through an accumulation of dust and biology.

"Garvin and his team used a new catalog of high-resolution satellite images to take a closer look at the weathered remains of some of the largest impact craters formed within the last million years, in an effort to better gauge their true size.

"Based on their analysis, a number of these craters feature faint rings beyond what have typically been considered their outer rims, effectively making them larger than previously presumed.

***

"It's a hypothesis worthy of debate. While we're busy getting systems in place to try to avoid the sting of a serious asteroid collision, odds are good that Earth's path will be clear for some time to come.

"One thing our planet doesn't need is any more scars to hide."

Comment: at least we now know we can change their course. DART impact proved it.