Does Jupiter have impact craters

Answer 1

Yes, there are some craters on the Earth. The Moon and Mercury, for example, have far more craters than the Earth or Mars do, because on the airless, weather-less Moon and Mercury, there is nothing to wear away a crater - except another impact event.

Mars has wind and sandstorms, while Earth has rain, wind, earthquakes and plants to cover up or wear away the marks of meteoric impacts. One of the clearest is the Barringer Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona, but there are hundreds of craters visible from satellite images; some so large that people never realized that their town, or city, or county, was within the ringwall of a meteor crater.

Answer 2

Probably meteoroid impacts. On the Moon, there is no weather, no wind, rain or erosion. A crater formed by a meteoroid a billion years ago will be as fresh and new-looking as one created last week.

On the Moon, craters never disappear - unless they are destroyed by new craters.

Answer 3

Excellent question. We can't be sure.

One obvious explanation would be impact craters, especially REALLY BIG impacts that crack the Moon's crust open or liquefy a large area of the surface. Given the size of the craters that we can SEE, it's entirely possible that the "maria" or "seas" that we see on the Moon might hide the impact sites for even larger bodies that then erased all trace of the impact.

Another might be some sort of titanic solar eruption or super-flare. This would likely sterilize large areas on the Earth as well, but we have a number of unexplained mass die-offs in the fossil record

Answer 4

Yes. At least, it is generally believed that the craters are caused by impacts.

Yes. At least, it is generally believed that the craters are caused by impacts.

Yes. At least, it is generally believed that the craters are caused by impacts.

Yes. At least, it is generally believed that the craters are caused by impacts.

Answer 5

Many of the craters on Earth ave been formed by the impacts of large meteors or small asteroids. Some of them are so large that they cannot be recognized as craters except from orbit.

However, because Earth has a molten core and is still tectonically active, probably even more of the craters on our planet are volcanic in origin. Between volcanoes and common erosion (by wind and water) many of the early impact craters on the Earth have been more or less completely erased.

Answer 6

The conditions on the moon prevent it from having a strong atmosphere like Earth. Because of this, it is unable to shield itself from impacts of meteors. The craters you see on the moon were formed by impacts from meteors moreso than seismic activity on the moon itself.

Answer 7

A2. A crater is formed when an explosion ejects material from is native position, leaving behind a depression. Rarely a collapse may cause a crater, though this is the natural cause of a caldera.

A crater may be formed by a meteor impact, warfare, volcanic explosion, or perhaps by a collapse.

A1. Craters are formed when an asteroid strikes any planet.

Answer 8

Craters are created when massive things fall to Earth and cause splashes of dirt and rock from the impact. The bigger (and faster) the mass, the bigger and deeper the crater will be.

On Earth, impact craters are eroded by wind, rain, plants, rivers, and earthquakes. On the Moon, a crater will remain until some other object creates a new crater and overlaps the old one.

Answer 9

There are two major ways a crater is formed. The most common is from volcanoes. As lava piles up from volcanic eruptions, a tall cone is formed. However, a crater remains at the top to provide a route for lava to flow out. The second, less common way, is by asteroids etc, colliding with the earth. When a fast-moving asteroid collides with earth, it creates an indent that can be very small or very large. Craters may also be created by the detonation of bombs on or just below the ground.

Comment: On some other planets and moons impact craters are very common, of course.

Answer 10

During heavy bombardment, the largest crater impacts were violent enough to fracture the moon's lithosphere. Because of heat released by radioactive decay, mantle material melted. Molten rock then welled up through the cracks in the lithosphere, flooding the impact craters with lava.

The few craters within the maria today occurred after the maria formed, when the heat from radioactive decay was no longer sufficient to produce lava flows.