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How did the Chelyabinsk meteorite injure more than 1,500 people in 2013?
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Earth impact hazard
An artist's rendering of the impact of a near-Earth object 66 million years ago in what is today the Caribbean region. Many scientists think that the collision of a large asteroid or comet nucleus with Earth triggered the mass extinction of dinosaurs and many other species near the end of the Cretaceous Period.
In 2013, the Chelyabinsk meteorite—an object approximately 17 metres (56 feet) wide—entered Earth's atmosphere and broke apart. This event generated a powerful shock wave that shattered windows across the region. The vast majority of the more than 1,500 reported injuries were caused by this flying glass.12