Once upon a time—over 3 billion years ago—a giant meteorite that was 4 times bigger than today’s Mount Everest struck Earth. This meteorite was 200 times larger than the one that wiped out the dinosaurs. But when it struck, it may have given ancient microscopic life forms a boost.
This impact happened
when Earth was very different than the planet we know today. At that time, life
on Earth consisted only of simple bacteria and similar single-celled organisms.
It is postulated that
back then, shorelines were shelves of shallow water, which would have been a
low-energy environment without strong currents. After the impact, giant tsunamis
would have swept the planet, ripping up the sea floor. The ocean’s surface
boiled and so much dust was thrown up that it blocked out the sun.
Life, however, proved
resilient. Ancient rocks from South Africa show that bacteria not only
survived, it thrived in the aftermath. The impact stirred up iron from the
ocean depths and delivered phosphorus (both from the meteorite and by increased
erosion on land). This meant that certain bacteria that feed on these elements
could flourish.
The site in South
Africa where this evidence was found indicates there were at least 8 different
major meteorite impacts from Earth’s early history.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/giant-meteorite-4-times-bigger-than-mount-everest-struck-earth-and-sparked-life/ar-AA1sMZLq?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=18b6b70382694c0db33db3d6e10d311e&ei=82
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