What would happen if a meteorite landed in the sea?
A small meteorite would make a splash and sink to the bottom. Only a very large asteroid would cause big waves.
About seven-tenths of Earth's surface is covered by oceans, so most meteorites land in the sea. Nobody notices most of them.
A small meteorite, the kind people find on land, would simply make a splash, perhaps with a little hiss if its surface was still warm, and then sink. It would settle on the sea floor and slowly rust away, because seawater is salty and makes metal rust quickly. Because nobody sees these falls, meteorites from the sea are almost never found.
Scientists can find tiny pieces of space dust in mud from the ocean floor, though. These little melted balls, called cosmic spherules, build up over thousands of years. Researchers have collected them using magnets dragged across the deep sea floor.
A much larger object would be a different story. An asteroid hundreds of metres or more across hitting the ocean could create giant waves, called tsunamis. Scientists have found evidence of ancient ocean impacts, such as the Mjølnir crater under the Barents Sea. Thankfully, impacts like that are extremely rare, and astronomers keep watch for large asteroids. A meteorite splashing into the sea near you is nothing to worry about.