Re: If it's possible to exceed the speed of sound underwater -what happens?

Hi Mr. Lee,

At those speeds, the water reacts much like a solid. There simply isn't time for it to get out of the way of the moving meteor. There certainly is a shockwave created, but much more happens. A lot of water (and most of the meteor) would be vaporized by the energy of the impact, and a lot of water would be splashed up into the air. The meteor itself would slow down quickly, giving up its energy and momentum to the surrounding water. There's actually a simulation of this available on the web, at this site. The impact would certainly generate a large wave on the surface of the water, and a discussion of this tsunami effect can be found at this other site.