A giant meteorite first discovered in 2014 caused a tsunami bigger than any in known human history and may have sparked life, scientists reveal.

The mammoth S2 meteorite, discovered in 2014, is believed to have caused a tsunami larger than any other known in Earth’s history.

Experts suggest the conditions caused by the impact of the S2 meteorite 3.26 billion years ago may have caused certain life forms to bloom.

Massive impacts had a silver lining for life. Billions of years ago, long before life as we know it emerged, meteorites regularly bombarded the planet. Around 3.26 billion years ago, one of these space rocks struck Earth,

The space rock that slammed into Earth 66 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous Period caused a global calamity that doomed the dinosaurs and many other life forms. But that was far from the largest meteorite to strike our planet.

The huge chunk of space rock is estimated to have been up to 200 times larger than the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs and analysis suggests it triggered a tsunami that mixed up the ocean and flushed debris from the land into coastal areas.

Meteorite impacts helped create Earth’s oceans and continents. They sparked life’s evolution through changes in the environment.

Some billions of years ago, Earth was a very different place. Long before life appeared on Earth, countless meteorites rained down on it. One such impact, known as the S2 event, occurred about 3.26 billion years ago and has left behind a trail of clues about our planet’s early history.

Evidence from ancient rocks in South Africa's Barberton Greenstone Belt reveals that despite the initial devastation, life rebounded rapidly and even thrived in the aftermath.