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Calcimator

Asteroid Impact Energy

Calculate the kinetic energy and destructive potential of an asteroid impact from diameter, velocity, and density. Estimates crater size and earthquake equivalent.

Inputs

m
km/s
kg/m³

Results

Impact Energy

75.086 Mt TNT

Impact Energy

75,085.87 kt TNT

Crater Diameter

0.73 km

≈ 8 football fields

Earthquake Equivalent5.9 Richter
Fireball Radius2.11 km
Hiroshima Equivalents5,005.7×
Avg Years Between Impacts630,957 yr
Gigatons TNT0.08
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter the Asteroid Diameter (m) — Chelyabinsk was ~20 m, Tunguska ~50 m, the Chicxulub impactor ~10,000 m.
  2. Set Impact Velocity (km/s): typical near-Earth objects hit at 15–25 km/s; comets can exceed 60 km/s.
  3. Choose Asteroid Density (kg/m³): icy comets ~1,000, rubble-pile asteroids ~1,500, rocky bodies ~3,000, iron meteorites ~8,000.
  4. Read Impact Energy (Mt TNT) and Crater Diameter (km) to gauge destructive potential.
  5. Compare Hiroshima Equivalents and Avg Years Between Impacts to put the event in historical and probabilistic context.

How the result changes with Asteroid Diameter

Asteroid DiameterImpact EnergyImpact EnergyCrater Diameter
10,00175,108,394.494 Mt TNT75,108,394,494.19 kt TNT26.37 km
35,0013,219,582,473.842 Mt TNT3,219,582,473,841.65 kt TNT70.05 km
65,00020,620,456,082.507 Mt TNT20,620,456,082,507.1 kt TNT113.53 km
90,00054,737,596,665.08 Mt TNT54,737,596,665,080.27 kt TNT146.33 km

What each input means

Asteroid Diameter
Diameter of the impacting body in meters (Chelyabinsk ~20m, Tunguska ~50m, Chicxulub ~10,000m)
Impact Velocity
Velocity at impact (typical NEOs: 15-25 km/s, comets: 30-70 km/s)
Asteroid Density
Bulk density (ice comet ~1000, rubble pile ~1500, rocky ~3000, iron ~8000 kg/m³)

How this is calculated

Formula

KE = ½ m v²; m = ρ × (4/3)πr³

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    Asteroid Diameter = 100, Impact Velocity = 20, Asteroid Density = 3000 = 3 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Impact Energy
    Impact Energy
    75.086 = 75.086
  3. Calculate Impact Energy
    Impact Energy
    75085.87 = 75085.87
  4. Calculate Crater Diameter
    Crater Diameter
    0.73 = 0.73
  5. Calculate Earthquake Equivalent
    Earthquake Equivalent
    5.9 = 5.9
  6. Calculate Fireball Radius
    Fireball Radius
    2.11 = 2.11

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