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A 500-meter asteroid crashing into a desert — for example, the Outback of Australia or the Sahara — would devastate an area of about 160,000 square kilometers and cause substantial damage over a far greater region. For example, if the asteroid fell in the Outback, all of the cities in Australia would almost surely be shaken flat. This would not, however, be the worst-case scenario. The consequences of the same asteroid arriving a few hours earlier and perhaps landing in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and Tahiti would be far worse. This is because the impact would generate an enormous tsunami (a huge ocean wave), often caused by earthquakes.