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The collision of Near Earth Objects with the Earth can cause significant damage and have serious affect on our planet because of the enormous amounts of energy released by impacts. The actual damage caused by any particular NEO depends on the speed at which it collides with the Earth, its size and the type of NEO. The speed and size of an NEO determine the kinetic energy which is liberated when it collides with the Earth. What an NEO is made from and its size also determines how much it is slowed down in the atmosphere before it hits the ground, or even if it will reach the ground at all.
The affect of a collision also depends on its location, at least for smaller NEOs. Impacts on land make craters whereas those in the oceans can generate huge waves known as tsunami. Small, weak NEOs can even break apart before they hit the ground and generate air blasts rather than craters.
The affects of the collision of large NEOs with the Earth does not, however, depend much on their location. These throw up large amounts of dust and vapour into the atmosphere which can rapidly change the world's climate. It is such climate changes that cause the largest hazard to living species on Earth.
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