Gale Middleton, age 8, of Lakeville Corner, N.B„ for her question:

Might a big meteorite destroy a city?

A big meteorite may weigh hundreds of tons. It hits the earth with such a bang that it digs a deep hole, crushing everything below it, If there are trees around, the meteorite might start a fire. What a catastrophe it would be if such a thing happened. in a crowded city: Well., says Andy, this is one nightmare we can all forget.

The earth is a large planet and meteorites of all sizes have been landing on it for billions of years, About 70 per cent of the world is ocean, so any large meteorite has seven chances out of ten of falling into the sea. Of the land area, most is countryside or wilderness. Cities occupy only a tiny percentage of the earth's surface.

Lastly, large meteorites are rare. They are so rare that we know of less than a dozen striking the earth in the past million years or so. Of course all of Andy's friends know that meteorites are meteors until they strike the earth.