Top 10 most destructive meteorite impacts that left scars on the “body” of the Earth (13 photos)

There was a time - the Earth was shaken by the impacts of 10-kilometer debris from other planets, and now any meteorite that left a tail in the atmosphere becomes newsworthy...





From time to time, here and there, small meteorites fall into the atmosphere of our planet, especially large ones even reach the surface of the Earth. But there was a time when gigantic stones rained down on the Earth like the scourge of God. We can only hope that this will not happen again. And if it happens again, then Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin, dear, will save us all. He promised!

In the meantime, let's look at the most terrifying craters left by gigantic meteorites and comets that were “lucky enough” to hit an inhabited planet.

Tunguska meteorite



It is still unknown what kind of celestial body fell in Siberia in 1908. Researchers did not find meteorite fragments at the crash site. Therefore, it is assumed that it was a small comet.

The scale of the disaster was simply colossal. A fireball with a diameter of 50-100 meters knocked down about 80 million trees and devastated 2,000 square meters of taiga. The explosion from the collision with the Earth was so strong that it was heard 800 kilometers away, and in the nearest settlement, 60 km from the epicenter, all the windows in the houses were blown out, and some people were knocked off their feet by the blast wave. Hundreds of reindeer died, turning into charred carcasses in the blink of an eye. As for human casualties, there is evidence that one reindeer herder died - he was smeared onto a tree by the blast wave.

Gosses Bluff Crater





This crater is located in Australia. According to research, it was formed about 130 million years ago as a result of a meteorite fall. The diameter of the crater is 14 kilometers, and the depth of the depression is 5 kilometers. The Tunguska cosmic body is simply smoking on the sidelines.

Mistanin Crater



Mystian Crater is located in the Canadian province of Labrador. It was formed approximately 38 million years ago. The meteorite fell at an acute angle, leaving an elliptical crater. Now the diameter of the crater is 17 kilometers; before it was larger. Over time, it filled with water, turning into Lake Mistanin.

Arizona Crater



This crater is also called Devil's Canyon. It is located 30 kilometers from the city of Winslove, in the US state of Arizona.



This huge “bowl” was formed approximately 50,000 years ago by the fall of a 50-meter meteorite, which weighed about 300,000 tons. The crater diameter is 1219 meters, depth is 229 meters. The edges of the crater rise 46 meters above the plain.

Bosumtwi Crater



This crater is located in Africa, in Ghana. It was formed approximately 1.07 million years ago when a 500-meter meteorite fell here. Bosumtwi has a diameter of 80 kilometers and a depth of 80 meters. Over time, a lake with no drainage formed in the crater.

Clearwater Crater



The Clearwater double crater is located in Canada, in the province of Quebec. Both craters were formed about 209 million years ago. Now they, like many other craters, are filled with water and are lakes.

The West Crater has a diameter of 36 kilometers, and the East Clearwater crater has a diameter of 26 kilometers. It is believed that the cause of the unusual shape of the crater is the fall of two asteroids at the same time. There are celestial bodies such as a double asteroid, which are held together by gravity and which rotate around a common center of mass.

Manicouagan Crater



This crater is also located in Canada and also in the province of Quebec. It appeared approximately 201 million years ago, when an asteroid with a diameter of 5 kilometers fell into this place.



The diameter of the crater was originally 100 kilometers. However, later due to erosion and sedimentation, it was reduced to 71 kilometers. Now there is a lake with the same name.

Sudbury Crater



The universe loves Canada. This crater is located in the province of Ontario. It is approximately 1.85 million years old. It was formed as a result of the fall of an asteroid or comet measuring 10 kilometers.

The diameter of Sudbury is 248 kilometers.

Vredefort Crater



The Vredefort Crater is located in South Africa, 120 kilometers from the city of Johannesburg. Scientists believe that it was formed more than 2 billion years ago, and “gave birth” to an asteroid with a diameter of about 10 kilometers. The diameter of the crater is 250 kilometers.

Chicxulub Crater



This crater is located on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. About 65 million years ago, an asteroid with a diameter of 10 kilometers fell here. Due to the impact of the cosmic body, a “bowl” with a diameter of 180 kilometers was formed, and the initial depth of the crater was about 17-20 kilometers.

The fall of the asteroid caused a tsunami wave 50-100 meters high, a high-temperature wave passed across the planet, and parts of rocks were thrown into near space, which is why the Earth was covered with a dust cloud that did not allow the sun's rays to pass through. This provoked climate change, during which dinosaurs are believed to have left this mortal coil.