If a large enough meteor hits the earth it can send the force through the Earth and out the other side creating volcanoes.

The force is called Antifocal Antipodal Force (Ann – tip – id – ull).

In simple (and probably slightly scientifically inaccurate) terms- the meteor hits earth, a shockwave goes through to the exact other side of the world (the point 180 degrees on the other side), agitates the magma under the earth on the other side, the magma needs a way to release the pressure, and presto- you have an instant mega volcanic eruption.

The neat thing about this is that while half of Earth is being vaporized by a meteor that is so large it touches both the ground and the stratosphere at the same time, the other half of the Earth is being slowly killed by the toxic fumes from a mega volcano.

There is a theory that a meteor like this hit the Earth a bajillion years ago and wiped out 99.9% of the life here. The resulting charred world was more fit for reptiles, which led to the rise of the dinosaurs.

I’m hoping that when it comes, it has my house in the cross hairs, since I’d prefer the instant vaporization. But I’m not sure how the people of Madagascar would feel about that, since that means they get the volcano.

Source: National Geographic Channel

Update: Post has been updated from the original. See comments for details.