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Q: How large is an impact crater compared to the impactor?
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How do impact craters form?

From the impact of fast moving objects with a surface. The kinetic energy of the impactor excavates a crater with an inverted, raised rim and forms an ejector plume leaving a crater and, if the impactor is sufficiently large or fast, a central mountain peak.


How might geologists distinguish an impact crater on earth such as Meteor Crater in Arizona from a volcanic feature?

A large meteoric impact such as Meteor Crater in Arizona, displaces the sedimentary rock that has existed before impact. On the rim of Meteor Crater are displaced boulders from lower depositional areas. Small fragments of the meteor are found around the entire area of the impact, and they may be detected with something as simple as a magnet. Features that indicate a volcanic event, like volcanic cinders or quantities of extrusive igneous rock , would also be missing from the impact site.


What forms a crater when it hits the earth?

A large meteorite can. Also an asteroid or a comet can cause a crater.


How would the impact of the meteor have affected the biosphere near the crater?

A meteor impact that's big enough to create a crater is likely to extinguish much or most of the biosphere at the impact site. In the 1908 Tunguska event, the impact didn't leave a crater, but the air burst did generate an explosion of "nuclear bomb" proportions, incinerating the landscape below and flattening trees for miles around. An impactor similar to the one that gouged out "Meteor Crater" near Winslow, AZ would likely have sterilized everything within a couple of miles, killed most animals within 5 miles, and devastated the area within 10 miles. Some plants and small animals might survive, but large animals would likely perish due to the utter disruption of the food chain. A really big impact would likely cause climatic changes, cooling the Earth by several degrees, because the dust and debris blasted into the stratosphere would have caused a significant fraction of the energy the Earth normally receives from the Sun to be reflected back into space. This, we believe, is what actually killed off the dinosaurs (and about 2/3 of all life on Earth) 65 million years ago.


What is a depression in the Moon's surface caused by the impact of an asteroid or meteoroid?

The usual term is crater. Most craters are nearly circular holes surrounded by rims of ejected material. The term "impact basin" is used for the multiple-ringed structures formed by large impacts.

Related questions

How do impact craters form?

From the impact of fast moving objects with a surface. The kinetic energy of the impactor excavates a crater with an inverted, raised rim and forms an ejector plume leaving a crater and, if the impactor is sufficiently large or fast, a central mountain peak.


What is caused by large meteorite impact?

crater


What is a sentence with the word crater in it?

The impact crater was as large as Wales.The soldiers hid in the crater until the mortars stopped.The Mars Rover tumbles and falls into a deep crater.


Was the NASA deep impact mission successful?

At 5:52 UTC on 4 July 2005, the impactor of the Deep Impact probe successfully impacted the comet's nucleus, excavating debris from the interior of the nucleus. Photographs of the impact showed the comet to be more dusty and less icy than expected. The impact generated a large, bright dust cloud that obscured the hoped-for view of the impact crater. Scientists are still analyzing the observations


What are two variables that could cause meteorites to form different sized craters?

There are a number of factors that determine the size and shape of a crater. The two most significant are the mass of the impactor, and the speed. Other influential factors would include the composition of the object (solid rock or more aggregate, like pebbles? Ice?) the shape of the object, and the composition of the impact site. If it is on dry land, it will be more likely to leave a visible crater, while a water or marshy impact site would be quickly erased. If a water impact, the depth of the water and the topography of the surrounding seas would be vastly important. A strike in a deep ocean basin might be relatively mild, while a water strike in the South China Sea or Gulf of Mexico, with the constricted water flow, might result in catastrophic tsunamis inundating the surrounding areas.


What effect did an impact have on Uranus' moon Miranda?

The impact created a large crater on its surface and threw its orbit off balance.


Where is a crater located?

A large depression in earth cause by impact of an asteroid or other object from space.


How might geologists distinguish an impact crater on earth such as Meteor Crater in Arizona from a volcanic feature?

A large meteoric impact such as Meteor Crater in Arizona, displaces the sedimentary rock that has existed before impact. On the rim of Meteor Crater are displaced boulders from lower depositional areas. Small fragments of the meteor are found around the entire area of the impact, and they may be detected with something as simple as a magnet. Features that indicate a volcanic event, like volcanic cinders or quantities of extrusive igneous rock , would also be missing from the impact site.


What is the difference between a crater and a caldera?

A caldera is a large depression formed at the summit of a volcano, left behind by the excavation of magma. A crater is formed by an explosion or impact.


Can you give me some sentences using the word impact?

Theimpact of the meteorite caused a large crater in the desert.How will the publicity impact the sales of the product?


How might geologists distinguish an impact crater on earth such as meteor crater in Arizona from a volcanic crater?

A large meteoric impact such as Meteor Crater in Arizona, displaces the sedimentary rock that has existed before impact. On the rim of Meteor Crater are displaced boulders from lower depositional areas. Small fragments of the meteor are found around the entire area of the impact, and they may be detected with something as simple as a magnet. Features that indicate a volcanic event, like volcanic cinders or quantities of extrusive igneous rock , would also be missing from the impact site.


What might have happened in the atmosphere in the time just after the Barringer Meteorite Crater formed?

The impactor in this case was not large enough to cause anything more than "local" atmospheric effects. The blast was about 10 megatons, one fifth that of the largest nuclear explosion.