Matter is ever-changing, its form developing in a series of nested processes which complete on the time scales on which mechanisms operate. This talk concerns behaviour in the regime beyond yield which encompasses a range of amplitudes and responses in which condensed phase materials access states in which they bond in a different manner such that strength is not defined. The driving forces are vast and awe-inspiring whilst the different rates of change observed in operating processes are on scales that span many orders of magnitude. A case study concerns the extreme conditions brought about by the infamous Chicxulub impact event. This talk spans materials science, mechanical engineering, physics, physical chemistry and geophysics to trace the common threads connecting bombs, desk toys and the extinction of the dinosaurs.