“Hundreds of people in Peru have needed treatment after an object from space – said to be a meteorite – plummeted to Earth in a remote area.
“People who have visited the scene have been complaining of headaches, vomiting and nausea after inhaling gases.
They said to the BBC, “That is why we are asking for an analysis because we are worried for our people. They are afraid. A bull is dead and some other animals are already sick.”
Scientists will be arriving soon. Some believe the high heat of impact may have fused compounds in the ground and released nauseating or perhaps toxic gases.
What if a large meteor hit the earth? Here’s an outline from the geology folks at Oberlin College on the effects a meteorite impact large enough to seriously effect earth’s global environment.
Meteors travel at 22 kilometers per second (13.6 miles) or faster, and typically gain speed when they enter a planet’s gravity well.
Meteor craters are also likely reservoirs of crude oil. “More than one part of an impact crater has potential to produce hydrocarbons,” says P. Jan Cannon, who’s been mapping craters since the Apollo moon landings.