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How large was the object that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, 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.
The object that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, on February 15, 2013, was an asteroid approximately 17 metres (56 feet) in diameter.123
As the object broke up in the atmosphere, it generated a powerful shock wave that shattered glass and caused injuries to approximately 1,500 people in the region. While such events are significant, impacts from bodies of this size are estimated to occur on average once per century.123