B. What does the amount of craters tell us about the age of the surface of the Moon?

Question

Also, how does the age of the surface of the Moon compare to the age of the surface of the Earth?

Answer 1

What you have to realize is that the moon is as old as the earth, more or less.  The craters tell us that earth suffered an equal amount of encounters with the same sort of objects that created the craters on the moon.  Earth, however, is a dynamic environment while the moon is static.  In a dynamic environment, things are going to change.  *shrug*

Answer 2

very little... most of the craters were actually formed early in it's life... infact, early in it's life is early in the life of our solar system period.... back then there were ALOT more objects floating around then there are today, all the planets/moons that existed were constantly bombarded by meteroites and asteroids.

Answer 3

Taken on their own, the number of craters tells us little. We need to understand first how many crater-producing objects have existed through time in our solar system, and then extrapolate the chances of such an object striking th moon.

Relating the number of craters to age is a very indirect method of aging the moon.

It's also important to note that larger objects striking the moon can obliterate other craters, creating enough heat to make parts of the moon liquid and recreating a smooth surface once again. This has happened in a number of places on the moon.

To find a reliable age for the moon, we use other means than the number of craters.

Answer 4

Its in your book...