![]() ![]() They have also been implicated in several mass extinctions. Impacts have been suggested as the origin of water on Earth. Impacts may have helped deliver the building blocks for life (the panspermia theory relies on this premise). Impact events also appear to have played a significant role in the evolutionary history of life. Major impact events have significantly shaped Earth's history, and have been implicated in the formation of the Earth–Moon system. Impact events appear to have played a significant role in the evolution of the Solar System since its formation. Impact craters and structures are dominant landforms on many of the Solar System's solid objects and present the strongest empirical evidence for their frequency and scale. When large objects impact terrestrial planets such as the Earth, there can be significant physical and biospheric consequences, though atmospheres mitigate many surface impacts through atmospheric entry. Impact events have physical consequences and have been found to regularly occur in planetary systems, though the most frequent involve asteroids, comets or meteoroids and have minimal effect. A major impact event releases the energy of several million nuclear weapons detonating simultaneously when an asteroid of only a few kilometers in diameter collides with a larger body such as the Earth (image: artist's impression).Īn impact event is a collision between astronomical objects causing measurable effects. ![]()
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