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Scientists believe they have found physical evidence that a space rock explosion could have inspired one of the most infamous stories in the Bible, wrote archaeologist Christopher R. Moore, Yahoo News reported.
Scientists may have found evidence of an icy space rock passing through the atmosphere at about 38,000 mph toward the ancient biblical city of Sodom, now called Tall el-Hammam, about 3,600 years ago, wrote Moore. The Bible describes the destruction of an urban center near the Dead Sea, with stones and fire falling from the sky.
The find is the result of 15 years of excavation work, Moore wrote. Scientists suspect that a firestorm caused the destruction of the city due to the presence of a layer of charcoal, ash, molten mud bricks and molten pottery about 5 feet thick , called the destruction layer. (RELATED: Asteroid flew “close” to Earth, estimated to be the same size as the Great Pyramid at Giza)
The group was able to determine by analysis that the only event that could have raised temperatures enough to melt many of the materials found at the site was a cosmic impact, Moore wrote. Similar evidence has been found in other alleged cosmic impacts, such as the crater created by the asteroid that triggered the extinction of the dinosaurs.
The scientists used the online impact calculator, which “allows researchers to estimate the many details of a cosmic impact event, based on known impact events and nuclear detonations”, to help in their efforts to find out the cause.
An aerial view shows salt formations in the southern part of the Dead Sea near the Israeli resort of Neve Zohar on June 17, 2021. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP via Getty Images)
Scientists estimate the rock exploded about 2.5 miles above the ground, creating an explosion about 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Moore wrote. The air temperatures would then have soared to 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit (2,000 degrees Celsius), setting the whole city on fire.
A massive shock wave would have followed, traveling at around 740 mph, faster than any recorded tornado, demolishing every building and killing all residents, Moore wrote.
There are currently over 26,000 near-Earth asteroids and around 100 short-lived near-Earth comets that could cause a cosmic impact with similar consequences, Moore wrote.
“We will inevitably crash on Earth,” he added. “Millions more remain undetected, and some may be heading towards Earth now.”
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