Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN: 9781938168284
Author: Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher: OpenStax
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Textbook Question
Chapter 8, Problem 16E
Why are there so many impact craters on our neighbor world, the Moon, and so few on Earth?
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Which of the following is least reasonable regarding impact craters?
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The size and shape of the crater and the amount of material excavated depends on factors such as the velocity and mass of the impacting body and the geology of the surface.
Craters are most often are circular but more elongate craters can be produced with impactors striking the surface at very low angles.
The Moon has more craters than the Earth because of its strong tidal force on the impactors.
Objects from space typically hit Earth at about 20 km/s ande produce craters that can be approximately 20 times larger in diameter than the impacting objects.
The faster the incoming impactor, the larger the crater.
The iron meteorite that created Barringer Crater (Arizona) was 50 m in diameter. It caused a crater 1.2 km (1200 m) in diameter, that is, 24 times bigger than the impactor. Keeping in mind that the size of the crater depends on many factors, such as the type of rocks present in the area, estimate the approximate size of the impactor that produced Mare Serenitatis.
Why does the surface of mercury have so many craters?
Chapter 8 Solutions
Astronomy
Ch. 8 - What is the thickest interior layer of Earth? The...Ch. 8 - What are Earth’s core and mantle made of? Explain...Ch. 8 - Describe the differences among primitive, igneous,...Ch. 8 - Explain briefly how the following phenomena happen...Ch. 8 - What is the source of Earth’s magnetic field?Ch. 8 - Why is the shape of the magnetosphere not...Ch. 8 - Although he did not present a mechanism, what were...Ch. 8 - List the possible interactions between Earth’s...Ch. 8 - List, in order of decreasing altitude, the...Ch. 8 - In which atmospheric layer are almost all...
Ch. 8 - What is, by far, the most abundant component of...Ch. 8 - In which domain of living things do you find...Ch. 8 - Describe three ways in which the presence of life...Ch. 8 - Briefly describe the greenhouse effect.Ch. 8 - How do impacts by comets and asteroids influence...Ch. 8 - Why are there so many impact craters on our...Ch. 8 - Detail some of the anthropogenic changes to...Ch. 8 - If you wanted to live where the chances of a...Ch. 8 - Which type of object would likely cause more...Ch. 8 - If all life were destroyed on Earth by a large...Ch. 8 - Why is a decrease in Earth’s ozone harmful to...Ch. 8 - Why are we concerned about the increases in CO2...Ch. 8 - Do you think scientists should make plans to...Ch. 8 - Europe and North America are moving apart by about...Ch. 8 - Over the entire Earth, there are 60,000 km of...Ch. 8 - With the information from Exercise 8.25, you can...Ch. 8 - What is the volume of new oceanic basalt added to...Ch. 8 - Suppose a major impact that produces a mass...Ch. 8 - How do the risks of dying from the impact of an...Ch. 8 - What fraction of Earth’s volume is taken up by the...Ch. 8 - Approximately what percentage of Earth’s radius is...Ch. 8 - What is the drift rate of the Pacific plate over...Ch. 8 - What is the percent increase of atmospheric CO2 in...Ch. 8 - Estimate the mass of the object that formed Meteor...
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Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- Why are there so many craters on the Moon and so few on Earth?arrow_forwardWhy did it take so long for geologists to recognize that the lunar craters had an impact origin rather than a volcanic one?arrow_forwardWhy do planetary scientists hypothesize that the Moon formed with a molten surface?arrow_forward
- The Moon did not pass through all of the four stages of planetary development. True or false? Explain your answer.arrow_forwardWhat is the composition of the polar caps on Mars?arrow_forwardWith no wind or water erosion of rocks, what is the mechanism for the creation of the lunar “soil?”arrow_forward
- We believe that chains of comet fragments like Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9’s have collided not only with the jovian planets, but occasionally with their moons. What sort of features would you look for on the outer planet moons to find evidence of such collisions? (As an extra bonus, can you find any images of such features on a moon like Callisto? You can use an online site of planetary images, such as the Planetary Photojournal, at photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov.)arrow_forwardExplain the evidence for a period of heavy bombardment on the Moon about 4 billion years ago.arrow_forwardWould you expect as many impact craters per unit area on the surface of Venus as on the surface of Mars? Why or why not?arrow_forward
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