Impact (IMAGE) Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena Caption Large asteroid impacts can melt significant amounts of material from Earth's crust (artist's impression). Credit Illustration: NASA, Don Davis Usage Restrictions No restrictions. License Public Domain Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.