why, if a big enough meteor hits the earth, is the impact like a nuclear bomb?

Question

why, if a big enough meteor hits the earth, is the impact like a nuclear bomb?

In: 1

Answer 1

It’s different–and potentially much, much worse. A recent science story in the news claimed that the asteroid that hit what is now the Gulf of Mexico and killed off the dinosaurs sent a tsunami *one mile high* crashing into the surrounding land, and the tsunami effects actually struck the other side of the planet. No current nuclear bomb has even close to that kind of power.