http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/tags.php?tag=illion-ton-asteroid-hits The NewsBiscuit Community en-US Mon, 20 May 2013 04:12:23 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/search.php http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163755 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:01:43 +0000 Username 163755@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Oh, Cascadia. You should have said. Yes, Lovely place. Some of my best friends are Cascadians. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163580 Mon, 18 Feb 2013 08:47:25 +0000 Squudge 163580@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p><a href="http://geology.about.com/od/quake_preparedness/a/aa_cascadiaEQ.htm">Cascadia &lt;clicky&gt;</a></p> <p>(not as scary as Yellowstone) </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163576 Mon, 18 Feb 2013 05:45:52 +0000 Username 163576@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>You mean Canadia. Cascadia's not even a country! @Sinnick, I feel safer already.</p> <p>But, in the event of a disaster, I will probably now distract myself by wondering just how many of the senior European Court of Human Rights lawyers are wearing superhero-embroidered catsuits under their gowns.<br /> Could make those last moments of profound isolation in the face of absolute annihilation surprisingly diverting. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163554 Mon, 18 Feb 2013 00:02:58 +0000 Squudge 163554@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>the NHS is rubbish at asteroids - have you tried a dab of Germoline and a decent pair of running shoes? </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163550 Sun, 17 Feb 2013 23:39:21 +0000 sigmund 163550@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>I had an asteroid once; bloody painful. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163544 Sun, 17 Feb 2013 23:10:49 +0000 The All New Jeni B 163544@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Ohh, the boots were awesome, but the weirdly high-waisted short and basque combo aren't ideally suited to the Scottish climate.</p> <p>I could just stick a "SL" on my Catwoman costume. It'd be a smoother fit under my Court garb, and would give me an added frisson when I was kicking butt, whether criminal or caldera. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163502 Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:12:13 +0000 Squudge 163502@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Jeni - you could adapt the WonderWoman outfit - the boots were cool.</p> <p>The Cascadia subduction zone is due an epic unzip too - any one of those three could set the other off, though I think Yellowstone is fairly resilient. Having a rock punch through to the caldera would make it cross though. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163490 Sun, 17 Feb 2013 20:53:04 +0000 The All New Jeni B 163490@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Username, if I could do that, I'd have to get myself a 'SuperLawyer' suit, complete with cape.</p> <p>Oh, and here's another one, the San Andreas is overdue for a big un too. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163472 Sun, 17 Feb 2013 20:31:32 +0000 Squudge 163472@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>@Sinnick</p> <p>Fair point except the Yellowstone bit. It is so backed up with pressure, and goes off as reliably as 'Old Faithful' (but with a longer egg-timer), that even a moderate eruption would be a 'bad thing', as it might set things off.</p> <p>I am surprised they haven't put signs up saying "No Loud Noises, stamping or farting" :D</p> <p>Let us hope nobody does any fracking nearby. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163460 Sun, 17 Feb 2013 20:13:22 +0000 Username 163460@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Bloody hell. Reads like a NewScientist article on Bible disasters. I'll have an O for "Oh, God, we're fucked", please Bob. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163327 Sun, 17 Feb 2013 11:18:31 +0000 Sinnick 163327@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>There are numerous threats, most with low probability.</p> <p>Asteroid hits will happen, but there is substantial research on detecting &amp; diverting them - nuking them would be catastrophic - in 10 years time, it'll be possible to nudge them sideways</p> <p>Supernovae - Betelgeuse is a great candidate, and we are overdue for one in this galaxy (though that statement is statistically unsound). Can't see why it would cause damage down here.</p> <p>Yellowstone has super eruptions and regular eruptions. The former will likely happen sometime in the next couple of 100,000 years and will have worldwide effects; the latter should be much sooner, but is no different from any other volcano eruption. No evidence of mass extinctions, though. Unlikely and nothing can be done, but makes good TV.</p> <p>My favourite disaster prediction is a nasty virus. With increasing world population, particularly in 3rd world cities, I think something that is lethal and cannot be contained is inevitable in the next 20 years, and probably much sooner. Not my funniest post,is it ? </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163307 Sun, 17 Feb 2013 09:22:27 +0000 Username 163307@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Thanks a bunch, Jeni.</p> <p>Looked up Yellowstone Caldera on Wikipedia, and saw something about supervolcanoes and someone who sounds like he knows an awful lot about volcanoey things saying that the threat level should be higher.<br /> Until now, ignorance was my only useful survival strategy (and possibly my only real asset), but now I've been robbed. I'll probably have to rely on idiocy as a tranquilizer now.<br /> You're skilled in lawyerizing. Can't you make eruptions illegal, and save us all? </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163287 Sun, 17 Feb 2013 01:44:49 +0000 The All New Jeni B 163287@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Squudge, there's a very good point.</p> <p>I'm far more concerned about Yellowstone being overdue than any asteroid. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163262 Sat, 16 Feb 2013 21:55:35 +0000 Titus 163262@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Surprised we haven't yet had the traditional gag "Million ton asteroid hits [insert town of your choice, preferably for a change not Scunthorpe or Wolverhampton] and causes £12 worth of improvement". </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163199 Sat, 16 Feb 2013 14:17:31 +0000 Rowly 163199@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>It's all about sizes and probabilities<br /> Billions of small dust sized particles hitting earth every day,<br /> thousands of Shooting stars, which are larger particles.<br /> the larger the oject, the rarer they are, so the probability is less.<br /> we could expect to have a 50 metre obect hit us every 1000 years.<br /> Luckily for us, a very lage object contributed to the downfall of the dinosaurs.<br /> I think there is greater danger to us as a species, if a Supernova were to go off in our arm of the Milky way.<br /> The deadly radiation from these events could wipe out all life within 100 light years.<br /> So, it may have already happened, but not got here yet!! </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163181 Sat, 16 Feb 2013 12:07:40 +0000 Squudge 163181@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Be interesting if a small one (25-75m) were to smack into Yellowstone</p> <p>...not saying it is likely - but 'interesting' </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=56464#post-163159 Sat, 16 Feb 2013 09:17:25 +0000 Sinnick 163159@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Just reporting some interesting stuff about these lumps of rock.</p> <p>The Russian asteroid impact (&gt;10 metres means "asteroid" not "meteoroid") was 15 metres wide, 7000 tonnes, entered atmosphere at 40,000 mph. Exploded at 20-25 km altitude with energy of ~300 kTonnes. These things almost always explode at high altitude, fortunately, but bigger than ~25 metres will impact.</p> <p>Hiroshima was 15 kTonnes.</p> <p>DA14 is 65 metres wide, travelling at ~25,000 mph. If it ever impacts Earth, which won't be in our lifetimes, the energy would be around 10,000 kTonnes. Equivalent to an earthquake of ~7.5 I think.</p> <p>The Russian "Tsar Bomb", detonated in northern Siberia in 1961 released an energy of 57,000 kTonnes. Big, but far from causing global damage. Equivalent to earthquake of 8.35</p> <p>Asteroids larger than 1km would cause global damage, but these are unbelievably rare. </p>