In case you’re not already aware, NASA has detected an Asteroid 2006 QQ23 larger than the Empire State Building to pass by our Earth On August 10. Another Asteroid 2019 OK also passed Earth last week but we failed to notice. And it all makes sense since not all the asteroids that come close to Earth are bound to hit it.

But, scientist, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, has warned that Apophis 99942, a 370-metre-wide near-Earth space rock might spark a major tsunami that can wipe out the entire west coast of North America, if it manages to hit our Earth.

SEE ALSO: Giant Asteroid ‘2019 ON’ Just Passed Our Earth And We Didn’t Even Blink

Early observations of this “asteroid tsunami” indicated the probability of up to three percent that the Asteroid could collide with Earth on April 13, 2029. This was later ruled out in 2006 when scientists predicted that Apophis would pass through a 600-mile gravitational keyhole, setting up a future impact on April 13, 2036. However, even this possibility has been ruled out and there is a very rare chance that this asteroid might hit our Earth in 2068.

SEE ALSO: Asteroid 2019 OK Just Passed Earth And We Didn't Even Notice

But, if the asteroid does manage to go through the centre of this gravitational keyhole, it would lead to a major impact in the ocean, causing a 50-feet high tsunami. “So what happens is, all the artificial stuff, all the houses, factories, they get churned into the ablative force that sandblasts the entire west coast of North America clean,'' mentioned Dr Tyson, reports Daily Express. However, this is only just a possibility and the likelihood of Apophis passing through the center of the keyhole is very low.