Interesting article. It implies that catastrophic cosmic strikes are more frequent than we currently believe. Question: How large of an asteroid is needed to make an 18 mile diameter crater (under 12,500 feet of water)? Anyone know?
Dunno. But after thinking about it, there would be a huge pneumatic effect. Liquid does, after all, in a case like this practically act like a solid. A unbelievable compression wave would travel almost immediately to the ocean floor. Like God had a giant toilet plunger. I'm talking a really, really,really BIG toilet plunger.
Trillions of tons of seawater would be instantly evaporated. I would think they should look for salt layers in the area.
I would say somewhere between "big mother" and "homper-stomper". Of course, a more careful examination of the data might increase the estimate to "Some KIND of homper-stomper, I tell you WHAT" but we'll just have to wait for more information.
Depends on the speed, size and weight, plus hardness/density. That thing must of been really movin' to go through 12,500 feet of water and then create such a crater.
One of Art Bell's legitimate guests once said that while SETI was a worthwhile endeavor, they're looking in the
wrong places, that is, crowded systems where cosmic collisions are more likely to occur, and therefore,
wipe out any developed life back to the stone age.
Or at least the to the plow as the most important tool.
"How large of an asteroid is needed to make an 18 mile diameter crater (under 12,500 feet of water)? Anyone know?"
It was not UNDER 12,500 feet of water (the area it hit) BEFORE the asteriod hit.
If the object can make a crater 18 miles across, the depth of water cover would not be a major factor.
It would depend on a few things. Like angle of impact, speed of the object, composition of the asteroid etc.