City Block
What is the minimum size an asteroid would have to be to take out a city block?
I would also like to know the minimum size an asteroid would have to be take out a city and a midsized state.
A *lot* depends upon the velocity the asteroid hits with. The energy level depends upon the *square* of the velocity term – so you double the velocity – you get *4* times the energy level.
At speeds of 10 – 15 miles per second, a rocky meteorite the size of a bowling ball would do a pretty good job of destroying a city block made up of 1-2 story housing. One about the size of a golf-cart could wipe out a block of multi-story office buildings.
To wipe out a decent city – say, about the size of Boston or Manhatten – a rock the size of a large storage shed or small house – would do a ‘bang-up’ job – would cause severe damage out for a couple dozen miles.
To wipe out, say… Kansas or Ohio… with the same initial velocity, you need a chunk of rock a couple city-blocks in all directions – maybe a rock the size of 20 Pentagon buildings stacked on top of each other. Collateral damage extending out a thousand miles or more… would be.. bad…
Increase the velocity enough, and each of these rocks could be substantially smaller.
You might try looking up KEV weapons – a steel rod the size of a telephone pole launched at a city such that it would hit at 50 miles per second – would have the effect of a hydrogen bomb going off – lacking only the nuclear-radiation effects.
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