Simulation shows tsunami from dinosaur-killing asteroid that brought 2.5-mile-high waves to Gulf Coast - New York Post

of the tsunami as it reverberated around the planet, superimposed on both what the planet looked like 66 million years ago (the black land masses) and a white outline of what Earth looks like today — remember continents drift at about an inch a year.

The asteroid is widely accepted to have wiped out nearly all non-flying dinosaurs and 75% of other plant and animal species.Getty Images/iStockphotoScientists estimate the waves reached an unfathomable 2.5 miles high.Getty ImagesThe asteroid is widely accepted to have wiped out nearly all non-flying dinosaurs and 75% of other plant and animal species on Earth, NOAA said.

The worst of the waves were concentrated near the impact zone around the prehistoric Gulf of Mexico.NOAA Such large asteroid strikes happen millions of years apart, on average.

But to prevent the human race from meeting a similar fate someday, NASA is researching ways to deflect or destroy any large asteroid that threatens Earth.

The new tsunami simulation was created as part of NOAA’s Science on a Sphere project, which uses computers and video projectors to display planetary data onto a 6-foot diameter sphere, similar to a giant animated globe.

The SOS is featured in 177 exhibits at science centers and museums across the US and the globe.