What is the force of impact for a failing space elevator given the following conditions?

The local sapient species on a relatively Earthlike planet has constructed a space elevator. It is anchored along the equator. Due to unfortunate circumstances (and potentially divine intervention) the elevator's counterweight (presumably still connected somehow to the tether) falls back towards the planet, striking an ice cap at the north pole.

More specifically, I'd like to know how hard it would hit the planet. Information on what the fallout of such an impact would be (ie if it'd kick up tsunamis or shockwaves of any kind) would be nice, but is not necessary. I understand that a space elevator's counterweight falling back to the planet is unlikely in reality; I'm interested specifically in the impact itself, not necessarily the events that set it into motion.

You can fudge some of the numbers and details about the exact size/composition of the elevator as necessary. I'm presuming that the anchor is situated directly on the equator of a planet with Earth's mass, with the counterweight at about 62,000 miles above the planet's surface. The counterweight and tether are constructed out of a biomechanical latticework of organic material and inorganic cables, strong enough to withstand the stresses placed upon them. The counterweight itself is a partially-hollow spacedock meant for launching spacecraft beyond the planet. I sadly can't find any sources on what the mass of a space elevator's counterweight is expected to be, but the presume that the planet it's orbiting is more or less the same as Earth (same mass, same rotational speed, same composition, etc.)

EDIT: Updated with more details on the elevator.

posted almost 4 years ago

MUSE-42‭

1 reputation 1 0 0 0