the discovery channel recently ran a great show (in HD) playing with the idea of a super comet. specifically, they tried to recreate the comet which killed the dinosaurs only they changed the era to be the modern one. visuals were cool, and the whole story is a great one– only a small percentage of people left alive, how do we survive, et cetera. cool. like reading stephen king’s The Stand mixed with a bit of Armageddon and Deep Impact, thankfully absent Ben Affleck.
here’s the link, lacking much info
- An eight-mile wide comet hitting the Gulf Of Mexico would cause an 3000 feet high tidal wave moving at 200-300 mph.
- This tidal wave would hit almost ever coast line in the world, killing pretty much anything from 50-500 miles in-land, based upon proximity to the point of impact.
- Ejecta from the impact would encircle the earth and fall back down, raising the temperature several hundred degrees. At this temperature, trees and forestation would spontaneously combust.
- After the ground cooled, any survivors who were underground would come to the surface and find that dust and ash would blanket the entire earth in total darkness, such as a moonless night.
- Any remaining plant seeds would die without photosynthesis and lichen and fungi would become the dominant species as they don’t need sunlight.
- The dark atmosphere would prevent the sun from warming the planet causing a new Ice Age.
- When the clouds dissipate and the sun returns, temperatures would still be relatively cool due to high level haze, continuing the new Ice Age. Any survivors would need to make their way to ocean coasts where the sea would retain enough heat to make life hospitable.
- You can made a sand-dogsled out of some bent steel and an inverted dining table, using as sled dogs the three rottweilers you rescued before finding an underground military bunker seconds before impact. The debris would make a slick surface for sledding.
it’s not on bittorrent yet.