Chance of 'city-killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 smashing into Earth rises yet again to 3.1%, NASA reports

https://www.livescience.com/space/asteroids/chance-of-city-killer-asteroid-2024-yr4-smashing-into-ea ^ | Feb 18, 2025 | Patrick Pester

[BenLurkin]

We might have to settle for Yemen. Or Calcutta.

[Sequoyah101]

‘38 huh? Still time to elect a democrap and create a panic or try to break the thing into smaller pieces or divert it for maximum damage.

[HartleyMBaldwin]

Yemen might do.

[Bratch]

Either that or they’re trolling for a larger budget.

[mjp]

the probability of flipping 5 heads in a row is approximately 0.03125,

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/050/239/cover3.jpg

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Maybe Caracas? Well, Mecca is a bit too far north, but maybe we could hope for a ground strike somewhere near the Afar Triple Junction.

Given the small size of the asteroid and the likelyhood that it will break up entering the atmosphere I do not think it would happen. It would have to be a direct strike on the fault. At best, a dust cloud and maybe some lava flows, but you never know. Geology is usually snails pace and it would be instructive to see a rift and new inlet form within a human lifetime.

Dabbahu Volcano, Afar, Ethiopia

[BenLurkin]

There was a corny movie about this.....

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Goodness! How did I miss that movie! Nukes into the earth to release Geothermal energy and split the world in two!

The lead actress was also in the day of the Triffids and Bikini Paradise and was married once to Mel Torme!

Along the same lines, James Bond movie "Never say Never again" Plot involves Evil Villian with a Nuclear weapon that will be detonated in a cave in Eritria to open up a channel that will flood the African Rift Valley probably to mess with former British colonies or something.