Meteors are small pieces of rock and/or metal that burn up after entering Earth's atmosphere due to friction.
Meteors enter the Earths atmosphere at speeds that range from 12 to 40 kilometers per second. While on its way to entering Earth, the air in front of it is compressed. This is the reason for meteors to start burning. Due to its size, meteors will be completely burnt up before reaching Earth's surface.
Meteorites are large meteors that survived the atmospheric burn and have landed on Earth's surface.
Impact events are collisions of space rocks and planets. These have a range of consequences:
Large amounts of materials enter into the environment, resulting in the rise of global climate change.
Similar to the environmental impacts, meteors can cause mass extinctions, causing the release of toxic gases.