Question

1. As a loose rule, the diameter of a crater, D, produced by the impact of a meteoroid on a planetary surface is proportional to the kinetic energy, E, of the impactor according to D = kE0.28 . where k = 2x10-7 km/erg0.28. Consider a 500-meter diameter stony (ρ = 3 g/cm3) meteoroid that impacts the Moon at a speed of 20 km/s.

   a. Using this information, determine the approximate diameter of the resulting crater. Then, characterize the appearance of the resulting crater (i.e. simple bowl, central peak, complex, etc.) and explain your reasoning. (Hint: you will probably have to read up on “crater morphology” on the internet to answer this part.
2. b. Suppose a meteoroid of similar composition and size were to strike Mercury instead of the Moon. Comment on what might be different about the resulting crater and ejecta blanket.

Answer 1