What would happen if the Earth struck a tiny but immovable object

We are living on this big lump of rock called the Earth, drifting ever so continuously through space.

Now imagine a tiny but immovable object in space, a single atom of 'unexplanium', locked in space-time (relative to our universe or whatever you need). It will not move, bulge or transform; it's just there having indestructible mass. Assume it has the properties of a hydrogen atom (1 proton + 1 electron) for all physical and chemical purposes, except that it is endowed with infinite inertia.

What would happen if our Earth hit that one immovable atom? For simplicity, we may assume that the Earth's movement is linear and that the atom will hit the center of the Earth. I imagine something like a truck hitting a stationary object. If it's super narrow it'll slice the half, if it's broad it'll smash into it.

Would we even know it happened? Or would the amount of energy rip a giant tunnel through the planet? If a single atom is too small for something significant to happen, what would happen if it's the size of a marble or something bigger?

I've found this XKCD, which is somewhat related and might be an interesting read. It also described super fast and tiny particles:

"If a meteor made out of diamond and 100 feet in diameter was traveling at the speed of light and hit the earth, what would happen to it?"

posted over 6 years ago

Martijn‭

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