answersLogoWhite

0

There are two reasons why the Moon (like other moons, and Mercury) has so many craters, and both are related to its lack of an atmosphere.

1) There is no atmosphere to prevent small-to-medium meteors from striking the surface. On Earth, only the largest and densest meteors can make it to the surface without vaporizing or exploding.

2) There is no volcanic activity, or oceans, or winds on the Moon. On Earth, scars from impacts would be lost due to continental drift, volcanic activity, or simple weathering by water, air, and plants.

So what you see on the Moon are some of the BILLIONS of collisions with it over BILLIONS of years. Only a few are weathered by solar activity on the rocks, and a much larger number erased by later impacts at the same locations.

User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago

What else can I help you with?