西南研究所的最新研究表明，约8亿年前主小行星带中一颗大型小行星的破裂导致大量碎片轰击地球、月球和火星[1]。研究团队通过碰撞动力学模型，将月球上观测到的陨石坑年代与欧拉利亚小行星族的形成相关联，揭示了这一古老撞击事件的规模和持续时间[1]。
这次撞击事件的影响范围广泛且长期存在。研究显示，在随后的100至150万年间，约25%的碎片通过雅可夫斯基效应逐步进入木星J3:1共振区[1]。根据撞击记录，月球每被1个大型物体撞击时，地球遭受的类似或更大撞击事件约为20次[1]。研究人员认为这次撞击事件可能影响了地球的气候和生物圈[1]。
西南研究所首席作者威廉·博特基博士指出："撞击事件在塑造太阳系生命起源和演化中所起的作用尚未被充分理解"[1]。这项研究已发表于《行星科学期刊》2026年第7卷第171期[1]。
Researchers at the Southwest Research Institute have identified evidence that the fragmentation of a large asteroid in the main asteroid belt approximately 800 million years ago may have triggered a sustained bombardment of Earth, the Moon, and Mars [1]. Using collision dynamics models, the team linked lunar crater ages observed by scientists to the formation of the Eulalia asteroid family, suggesting this catastrophic event had profound implications for Earth's climate and biosphere [1].
The bombardment was not instantaneous but occurred over a prolonged period. Over the subsequent 100 to 150 million years, roughly 25 percent of the asteroid fragments were gradually drawn into Jupiter's J3:1 resonance zone through the Yarkovsky effect, a thermal process that alters small objects' trajectories [1]. According to the research, for every large object that struck the Moon during this period, approximately 20 similar or larger impactors hit Earth [1]. The study was led by Dr. William Bottke and published in The Planetary Science Journal in 2026 [1].
Dr. Bottke emphasized the significance of understanding impact events, stating that "the role impacts have played in shaping the origin and evolution of life in our solar system is poorly understood" [1]. This ancient bombardment episode contrasts with more recent impact events—the Chicxulub impact occurred 66 million years ago and led to dinosaur extinction, making it substantially younger than the Eulalia-family bombardment [1].