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What evidence is there that the Earth has been struck by NEOs?
Many major impact craters have been discovered around the world, both those that would have led to local devastation and larger ones that would have caused global climatic effects. One example is the Barringer crater in Arizona, nearly 1.2 km wide. It is believed that the crater was created about 50,000 years ago. The meteorite that made it was composed almost entirely of nickel-iron and was approximately 50 m in diameter. The force generated by its impact was equivalent to the explosion of 20 million tons of TNT. Indirect evidence that meteorites have bombarded Earth can be found by looking at the craters of the Moon or Mercury.
For more information see our list of past impacts on the Earth.
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