Three billion years ago, when Earth was just getting started, a space rock 200 times larger than the one that killed the dinosaurs crashed into the planet.
In order to comprehend the collision, experts trekked to the impact site in South Africa using sledge hammers in order to chip away pieces of rock.
The scientists also discovered proof that early life flourished as a result of enormous asteroid collisions, which did more than just destroy Earth.
Prof. Nadja Drabon states, “We know that there was still a lot of debris flying around space that would be smashing into Earth after Earth first formed.”
In the wake of some of these massive catastrophes, however, we have discovered that life was incredibly resilient and that it flourished, she says.
Compared to the space rock we are most familiar with, the meteorite S2 was substantially larger. Nearly the height of Mount Everest, the one that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago was roughly 10 kilometers wide.
However, S2 was 50–200 times more massive and 40–60 kilometers broad.
When Earth was yet in its infancy, it struck and had a quite different appearance. Only a few landmasses protruded from the sea on this ocean world. Microorganisms made of single cells constituted the most basic form of life.
