[toddst]

Had it collided with the Earth, "the most likely thing is that it would have detonated in the atmosphere, creating a blast wave," he said.

Why do we always get this type of thing sensationalized? Why would a piece of rock "explode" as opposed to simply burning furiously until impact, at which point it would be much smaller? Just wondering.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Why would a piece of rock "explode" as opposed to simply burning furiously until impact

It depends mainly upon the composition of the rock.

[#3Fan]

Why do we always get this type of thing sensationalized? Why would a piece of rock "explode" as opposed to simply burning furiously until impact, at which point it would be much smaller? Just wondering.

Because asteroids like this are traveling at around 40,000 miles an hour. They are so large that when they strike the atmosphere, the pressure wave and the change in temperature going through the asteroid is so intense the the rock vaporizes at once, creating an explosion.