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Why does the moon have more surface craters than the Earth does?
Wiki User
∙ 6y ago
I'm no expert but id guess that earth (being a larger target) has been hit more then Mercury. (here is where the guessing ends) but mercury is devoid of water Ware as earth has lots. their was once a time where earth was covered with impact craters. but over rain eroded them away. mercury has no rain so the craters will stay their for millions of years
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 6y agoTwo reasons:
- The Earth has an atmosphere that can cause many/most meteorites to burn out before impacting on the surface of the earth. The moon has no atmosphere to protect it.
- The Earth surface is subject to erosion as well as the growth of forests and other vegetation that can even out the land making many meteorite impacts no longer visible. The Moon does not have this.
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Does the moon and the earth both have craters?
Yes both bodies have craters but the Moon has many many more. That is because it has no protective atmosphere so that any old piece of rock of any size that hits the Moon will produce a crater (sometimes only a small one, other times a big one). The Earth's atmosphere causes all but the biggest meteors to burn up before they hit the ground, which means they have to be really large to cause any kind of crater. But the Earth has a few big craters.
Why doesn't the earth have craters?
Earth does have craters, but most of those that exist are heavily eroded, have been buried under sediment, or have been deformed by plate tectonics. Many more craters have been destroyed by these processes.
How the earth and moon are similar?
Similar:1. Both in Solar System2. Both have gravity3.Both have craters,[moon has more, Earth has less]4. techtonic activity5. both have rocksDifferent:1. Earth is has more mass than the the moon2. Earth has liquid water the moon doesn't3. Footprints on the Earth would be there a few days, but on the moon it could be there millions of years.4. no atmosphere on moon5. moon no oxygen6. earth has metal and moon doesn't They are both satellites. The Moon is a satellite to the Earth. The Earth is a satellite to the Moon.Definition - Satellite - A celestial object that revolves around a primary. Well, for one, both are more or less spherical masses trapped in the sun's gravitational field. For two, the moon is trapped in the earth's gravitational field. For three, man has set foot on both. For four, the terrain of both are well known. For five, eclipses happen between them when either one is between the sun and the other.
Why can the moon not escape from the earth?
The earth is six times more massive than the moon. That keeps the moon in orbit around it, just as the mass of the sun keeps the earth in orbit around it.
What distances from earth equate to multiples of geosynchronous orbit?
It appears that geosynchronous orbit (orbit that appears stationary from earth's surface) is more or less equal to the circumference of the earth (around 27,000 miles). The moon which orbits the earth reaches the same point every 29 or so days. So it would appear that the moon is around 29 times the distance for geosynchronous orbit or about 783,000 miles.
Does the surface of moon and earth both have craters?
yes. there are more craters on the moon because no atmosphere protects it from meteors or meteorites, but both the moon and the earth have craters
Who has more craters the earth or the moon?
there are more craters on the moon then on earth
Why more craters are present on the Moon's surface than on Earth's?
because the moon does not have a equater like the earth to protact it self ;)
Why does the moon's surface have more craters from meteorite strikes than the Earth surface?
it is easy the eathhave a capa de osono that protect the eath but the moon dont have it
How were the craters on the moon made?
Craters happen when meteorites impact on the Moon's surface. Most of the craters on the Moon are billions of years old, the impacts were much more common during the early stages of the solar system's formation. There are craters on the Earth's surface as well. They are just harder to see, because the surface of the Earth changes faster because we have an atmosphere and erosion.
Which side of the moon has more craters?
The "darkside" or the part of the Moon that does not face the Earth has the most craters.
Why is the moon full of craters but the earth is not?
The Moon's surface is heavily cratered because of of meteor impacts. Meteors are able to more commonly strike the Moon's surface than the Earth's surface because the Moon's atmosphere is not as strong as the Earth's, so less meteors burn up in the Moon's atmosphere than they do in the Earth's atmospheres. So the craters are simply the result of heavy meteor impacts. Answer #2 The moon has no weather to erode craters. Speculation is that the earth has been hit at least as many times as the moon because of our greater mass. Wind, water, and plate tectonics wipe out the evidence on earth.
Why are more craters present on the moons surface than on earths?
because the moon does not have a equater like the earth to protact it self ;)
Are there more craters on Mercury and the Moon than the Earth?
The surface of the Earth has been reworked over geological time and this has erased evidence for craters that have existed on the Earth. However all the inner planets and moons have been subject to the same rate of impactors and as Earth is larger, it is therefore likely that Earth has in fact received more impactors (and therefore had more total craters) than the Moon or Mercury. There are more craters now visible on the Moon and Mercury, but there were likely many more on the Earth over the same astronomical time. But craters on Earth have become less visible due to erosion and geologic activity - these processes are much more active on Earth than on the Moon or Mercury, which have less tectonic activity, no real atmosphere, and no liquid water.
Does the moon has more craters than the earth?
Yes it does. The Moon has no air to stop meteors.
Why do you see so few craters on the earth compared to the moon?
The moon is hit by many more meteorites than Earth because it has no significant atmosphere to burn them up in. Also as the earths surface is continually changing, visible craters may be filled in, smoothed over or covered up.
Why does the moon have impact craters that are more visible than earth's?
The Moon is a more bleach environment and the Earth has Plant Life, Water, buildings, and that kind of thing. So craters on the Moon are seen better because it is more distinctive, the Moon is basically rock, dust, and more rock.
