The Impact site is nearly a mile across, over 3 miles in circumference, and 550 feet deep...
large enough to engulf a 60-story building or to accomodate 20 foorball fields on the floor of the crater.
Ten Seconds Until IMPACT!
That's approximately how long it will take for a large meteor to burn it's 100 mile course through our atmosphere before impacting the Earth.
The stages preceeding impact are:
- In outer space a Meteriod can attain speeds in excess of 44 mps (158,400 mph) or 70 kps (253,000 kph).
- 10 seconds before impact, or approximately 100 miles above the Earth's surface,
friction instantaneously superheats and vaporizes the leading surface of the Meteor
as it enters Earth's atmosphere.
A shock wave is simultaneously created.
- 5 seconds before impact, or about 50 miles above the Earth,
fragmentation of the Meteor may occur due to the vast pressure differential
between the leading and trailing surfaces.
Stony Meteors may experience a breaking away of the outer crust, creating a brilliant light flash in the night sky. - IMPACT! The Meteor impacting here lost less than 1% of its initial 40,000 MPH velocity.
The surviving fragments are Meteorites.