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The earth has atmosphere and liquid water, whereas Mercury has neither. Their

presence works against the appearance of impact craters in at least two ways:

1). The vast majority of material objects on a course to strike the earth burn up

in the atmosphere and never reach the surface. Those that are large enough to

survive the entry are reduced in size, mass, and speed before impact.

2). The marks left by impacts that do occur become worn down or "weathered"

by the effects of both the atmosphere and the water on earth.

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Why are impact craters on Earth harder to see than those on Mercury or the Moon?

Unlike Mercury of the moon, Earth is geologically active. Erosion, deposition, and plate tectonics have buried or destroyed most of Earth's craters.


What might be responsible for most of the craters on earth's moon?

Most of the craters on Earth's moon are believed to have been caused by impacts from meteoroids, asteroids, and comets over millions of years. These impactors have struck the moon's surface and created the circular depressions we see as craters.


Why does the moon have more crators than the earth?

because earth has an atmosphere which makes asteroids burn up before they hit the ground but the moon has no atmosphere so it can't stop asteroids. also, the moon shields the earth from some asteroids.


Why does earth lack craters?

Earth does have impact craters, but it has much few than the moon or Mercury and many of them are not readily visible. The main reason is that Earth has many active geologic processes that renew and change its surface, burying and destroying impact craters. If an impact crater on Earth is clearly visible then it probably formed quite recently in geologic history. Many of the impact craters on the moon and Mercury are billions of years old, dating to when the solar system was young and large asteroid impacts were far more common than they are now. Very little of Earth's crust from that time remains intact. By contrast craters on Earth that are tens of millions of years old are not readily visible.


Why does the moon has many craters but the Earth has few?

Earth is geologically active with volcanoes, tectonic plates, and has a substantial atmosphere, moving water, and glaciers. These forces are constantly changing Earth's surface. Impact craters get eroded, buried, and outright erased. The moon has no significant geologic activity, no atmosphere, and no water. As a result craters on the moon can remain almost untouched for billions of years.

Related Questions

What is the main reason that impact craters on the Moon last much longer than impact craters on earth?

Impact craters on the moon have no water/weather to erode the craters away, but on Earth the erosion erases the craters over time.


Why do you see many impact craters on the moon but not earth?

The Earth has weather patterns that have eroded most of the craters on Earth. The moon has no weather, therefore no erosion.


Are impact craters larger on the earth or moon?

On average the craters on Moon are larger than the Earth's because the Moon has no atmosphere to shield from impactors and no weathering processes.


Why are craters preserved on the moon but not on earth?

Earth is geologically active and has wind and water to erode craters. The moon is geologically dead and has no atmosphere and thus no erosion. There is nothing on the moon to destroy impact craters.


Why does the moon have circles?

Those are impact craters from when it was hit by meteors. The moon has no weather, so they never got erased like most of the impact craters that were on Earth's surface.


Why are there more visible impact craters on the moon than on earth?

The moon has no atmosphere and hence no weather. Weather causes erosion. Living things are another cause of erosion that happens on Earth and not on the moon. The Earth is also more tectonically active. Continental drift happens on Earth, but doesn't happen on the moon. And earthquakes and volcanoes resulting from plate tectonics also can obliterate impact craters. And even the fact that the moon has a lower gravity than the Earth helps to preserve its craters; the walls of the craters weigh less and are therefore less likely to collapse.The earth has an atmosphere and the moon does not. Very little changes on the moon but on earth the weather changes the landscape and overgrowth covers up otherwise more obvious patterns.


Can you see craters on the moon from earth?

No. Most of the impact craters that have formed on Earth have been destroyed and buried by geologic processes, processes that the moon lacks. While some recent impact craters on Earth remain visible on the surface, they are too small to be seen from the moon.


Who has more craters the earth or the moon?

there are more craters on the moon then on earth


Does the surface of moon and earth both have craters?

Yes, both the Moon and Earth have craters on their surfaces. The Moon's surface is covered with craters formed by impacts from space debris, while on Earth, craters are less common due to erosion and tectonic activity, but they can still be found in certain areas like meteorite impact sites or volcanic regions.


What makes craters on earth less noticeabale than craters on the moon?

Erosion. The earth constantly has wind, water, and life walking and eroding impact craters, where the moon has none of the above. In fact, if you are to walk on the moon right now, you will leave footprints that will be on the moon forever.


Why do you think there are millions of impact craters on the moon and so few on Earth?

The Earth has had far more asteroid and meteorite impacts than the moon. Impact craters on Earth however are eroded by the atmosphere and water and also filled in by water and sediment. Since the moon has next to no atmosphere craters tend not to erode so they will always be visable.


What cause the Moon's craters?

The craters on the Moon are considered to be impact craters, caused by meteoroids striking the Moon.