On Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:52:41 -0500 Jed Rothwell <[email protected]> wrote:
> They determined that the most recent catastrophic strike was in the year > 536 AD, in the ocean north of Australia. This caused global-wide disruption. > > See this 2008 article: > > http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/06/the-sky-is-falling/306807/?single_page=true So 1500 years ago a rock falling into the ocean caused a couple of cold years, about the equivalent of the Tambora explosion of 1815. European civilization survived that with nary a hiccup. If it had hit land (30 percent chance) it would have caused worse crop failures; still, our European civilization today, with its abundance of food and fuel, would sail through it like it was a summer breeze. BUT we should still be afraid!!, because 5000 years ago, a really big rock hit the ocean and created a 600 foot high tsunami, and if it were to hit land: "much of a continent would be leveled; years of winter and mass starvation would ensue." It sounds like gross exaggeration; and anyway, if the thing hit 5000 years ago, when did the previous one hit? Was it 10000 years previous, 20,000? Should I lie awake nights about this? This speculation strikes me as chicken little stuff, and not to be concerned about. When, in 100 years, we have a reasonably cheap and effective technology, then, sure, deploy it; for now, the doomsayers should find something more realistic to get hysterical about as a way to suck tax dollars out of my pocket.
