Introduction
It is not only the immediate area surrounding the impact that would be affected by the collision. Meteorological phenomena resulting from the impact would also have a large effect on life on Earth. In particular, earthquakes resulting from the meteor would do much damage to cities and infrastructure. Our meteor is 2 kilometers in diameter, and has a mass of 9.07x1012 kilograms. Should a meteor of this size collide with Earth, the impact would cause earthquakes that have the potential to seriously affect people and animals.
To measure the effect the meteor will have on the Earth, I will calculate its magnitude. In order to calculate the magnitude of the earthquake, I will first calculate the kinetic energy of the meteor impact. …show more content…
According to the Mercalli scale, the earthquake caused by our meteor hitting the earth would likely cause total destruction of buildings, damage to railways, and damage to underground pipelines. Topography would be affected as well, potentially changing altering ecosystems and affecting nonhuman animals as well. Furthermore, because our meteor is hitting Ecuador, a country with mountain ranges such as the Andes Mountains, the earthquake would trigger landslides, potentially leveling cities and threatening lives.
The magnitude of this earthquake caused by our meteor strike is comparable to one earthquake which took place off of the coast of Chile in 2015. In 2015, an earthquake occurred 48km away from the city of Illapel, with a magnitude of 8.3. The effects of the Illapel earthquake very closely match up to the effects the Typche earthquake is predicted to have in the Mercalli Scale. Furthermore, the earthquake that would be caused by Tyche and the Illapel earthquake also have very similar magnitudes on the Richter scale. Therefore, the Illapel earthquake helps us predict what effects the Tyche earthquake would …show more content…
The earthquake also resulted in loss of power and water in the city of Illapel. Furthermore, the earthquake caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and left 9000 people homeless. Over one million people had to be evacuated in order to prevent more deaths. Therefore, it can be predicted that the Tyche meteor would also have similar effects. Similar to the Illapel earthquake, the Tyche earthquake would likely result in heavy damage done to infrastructure and thousands of people's homes being destroyed. Without proper evacuation procedures, even more people's lives would be at risk than in the Illapel earthquake.
Examining the Waves Created by the Earthquake
The damage caused by the earthquake would happen as a result of the waves the earthquake produces. Earthquakes produce two types of waves: longitudinal waves (often referred to as P-waves) and transverse waves (often called S-waves).
Transverse waves cause most of the damage after an earthquake
It is not only the immediate area surrounding the impact that would be affected by the collision. Meteorological phenomena resulting from the impact would also have a large effect on life on Earth. In particular, earthquakes resulting from the meteor would do much damage to cities and infrastructure. Our meteor is 2 kilometers in diameter, and has a mass of 9.07x1012 kilograms. Should a meteor of this size collide with Earth, the impact would cause earthquakes that have the potential to seriously affect people and animals.
To measure the effect the meteor will have on the Earth, I will calculate its magnitude. In order to calculate the magnitude of the earthquake, I will first calculate the kinetic energy of the meteor impact. …show more content…
According to the Mercalli scale, the earthquake caused by our meteor hitting the earth would likely cause total destruction of buildings, damage to railways, and damage to underground pipelines. Topography would be affected as well, potentially changing altering ecosystems and affecting nonhuman animals as well. Furthermore, because our meteor is hitting Ecuador, a country with mountain ranges such as the Andes Mountains, the earthquake would trigger landslides, potentially leveling cities and threatening lives.
The magnitude of this earthquake caused by our meteor strike is comparable to one earthquake which took place off of the coast of Chile in 2015. In 2015, an earthquake occurred 48km away from the city of Illapel, with a magnitude of 8.3. The effects of the Illapel earthquake very closely match up to the effects the Typche earthquake is predicted to have in the Mercalli Scale. Furthermore, the earthquake that would be caused by Tyche and the Illapel earthquake also have very similar magnitudes on the Richter scale. Therefore, the Illapel earthquake helps us predict what effects the Tyche earthquake would …show more content…
The earthquake also resulted in loss of power and water in the city of Illapel. Furthermore, the earthquake caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and left 9000 people homeless. Over one million people had to be evacuated in order to prevent more deaths. Therefore, it can be predicted that the Tyche meteor would also have similar effects. Similar to the Illapel earthquake, the Tyche earthquake would likely result in heavy damage done to infrastructure and thousands of people's homes being destroyed. Without proper evacuation procedures, even more people's lives would be at risk than in the Illapel earthquake.
Examining the Waves Created by the Earthquake
The damage caused by the earthquake would happen as a result of the waves the earthquake produces. Earthquakes produce two types of waves: longitudinal waves (often referred to as P-waves) and transverse waves (often called S-waves).
Transverse waves cause most of the damage after an earthquake