The August 2000 meteor entered the atmosphere off the coast of Acapulco, Mexico. Based on the energy and speed of the bolides, ReVelle and Whitaker estimate the first was six feet in diameter. The second meteor probably was at least twice as large. That meteor was one of the five brightest meteors that have ever been recorded. It was a very large bolide.
Bolides produce their brilliant light shows miles above Earth's surface.
Most meteors explode into thousands of tiny pieces or burn up completely before they hit the surface. When they do hit the ground, their destructive power is unmistakable. The remains of a very large bolide collision with Earth can be seen at the Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona. An enormous bolide fell to Earth about 35 million years ago on the Atlantic coast of North America near the Delmarva Peninsula. It carved a roughly circular crater twice the size of the state of Rhode Island, and nearly as deep as the Grand Canyon.