0
What are the processes that erase impact craters on the Earth over time?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Water movement. Ice movement. Plant growth. Time.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoWind, rain, earthquakes; these are the major ones. The Earth is an active planet, and nothing remains forever.
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Why have scientists found few impact craters on Earth?
Because there are few erosion processes on the Moon to erase the craters. The Earth has had many more impacts, but those in the ocean were covered up and those on land were eroded away.
Why do craters last a million years on the moon?
They last much longer than that. Some of the moon's craters are billions of years old. They last so long because there is nothing to erase them. Earth has wind, water glaciers, volcanoes, and tectonic plates to bury, erode, and erase craters. The moon has none of these processes. Some refer to the moon as geologically dead.
Why have very old craters on the moon not be erased as similar craters on earth have been?
Unlike Earth, the moon does not have air, water, glaciers, or plate tectonics to erase craters. The only forces that significantly alter the moon's surfaces are impacts that form new craters.
Why is the earths surface not covered by the same impact craters?
First, we have a nice thick atmosphere that deals with many meteors. Secondly, weathering and erosion erase the marks fairly quickly.
Why do the moon and mercury have more meteor impacts then earth?
There is no erosion on the moon and mercury to erase the impact sites.
Why have scientists found few impact craters on Earth?
Because there are few erosion processes on the Moon to erase the craters. The Earth has had many more impacts, but those in the ocean were covered up and those on land were eroded away.
Why do craters last a million years on the moon?
They last much longer than that. Some of the moon's craters are billions of years old. They last so long because there is nothing to erase them. Earth has wind, water glaciers, volcanoes, and tectonic plates to bury, erode, and erase craters. The moon has none of these processes. Some refer to the moon as geologically dead.
Why have very old craters on the moon not be erased as similar craters on earth have been?
Unlike Earth, the moon does not have air, water, glaciers, or plate tectonics to erase craters. The only forces that significantly alter the moon's surfaces are impacts that form new craters.
Why don't the craters on the moon weather away as they do on earth?
The answer is actually embedded in the question. The craters of the moon do not "weather" away because the Moon has no weather! To have weather requires an atmosphere and the Moon has none. There is also no free flowing water. Without tectonic and volcanic activity to erase craters as occurs on Earth, craters can persist for up to hundreds of millions of years.
Why have very old craters on the moon not been erased as similar craters on earth have been?
Many places on the moon suffer from a shortage of the things that erase craters on the earth, including air, wind, water, rain, storms, lightning, mud, burrowing animals, tides, roots of growing plants, earthworms, etc.
Why isn't the earth cratered with meteorite hits?
Actually, it is. There are HUNDREDS of circular features that are believed to be the weathered-away remnants of impact craters. Here on Earth, small craters (the most common kind) don't last too long. Rain, wind and earthquakes tend to erase all but the largest craters, while the largest ones become overgrown with trees and cut through by rivers, or jumbled up in the collision of the continental plates as they scurry across the planet. And remember that 75% of the Earth's surface is water; a large-ish meteor strike at sea might cause a major tsunami, but leave no visible impact.
Why is the earths surface not covered by the same impact craters?
First, we have a nice thick atmosphere that deals with many meteors. Secondly, weathering and erosion erase the marks fairly quickly.
Why do the moon and mercury have more meteor impacts then earth?
There is no erosion on the moon and mercury to erase the impact sites.
Why don't craters erode on the moon?
They do, but extremely slowly. There is no atmosphere or liquid water on the Moon, meaning no wind, rivers, waves, or blowing dust to erode the craters. There is also no volcanic activity or tectonic action to erase them as on Earth. Many more craters have been obliterated by subsequent impacts than by slowly crumbling away. Some craters are hundreds of millions of years old, and have many smaller craters within them.
Why don't the craters on the moon eventually erode away?
They do, but very slowly. There is no atmosphere or liquid water on the Moon, meaning no wind, waves, or blowing dust to erode the craters. There is also no volcanic activity or tectonic action to erase them as on Earth. Many more craters have been obliterated by subsequent impacts than by slowly crumbling away. Some craters are hundreds of millions of years old.
What are craters on the moon and on earth caused by?
The craters on the Moon result from the impact (still ongoing) of meteoroids, which can be fragments of asteroids or comets. They persist for up to millions of years because there is no wind erosion, water erosion, or tectonic activity to erase them, only the slow process of crumbling into dust by heating and cooling. Craters on Earth are typically volcanic, formed by the eruption of liquid rock and ash from subterranean magma deposits. The magma is kept liquid by the Earth's internal heat, but solidifies as lava on the surface or ash thrown into the air. The Earth's atmosphere causes most smaller meteors to burn up or explode. Only occasionally do they reach the ground. There are meteor craters on Earth, including some that are very old and very large, but most are erased or hidden by changes to Earth's surface over time. This includes tectonic activity, volcanoes, wind and water erosion, and the actions of plant life. (see related link for one of the more famous Earth craters)
Does the moon have many craters left?
Crater numbers on the moon can only get bigger cause there is no wind, rain, or volcanic activity to erase the craters. Landslides are rare too.
