Why are meteorite craters more common on the moon than on earth, even though the moon is a much smaler target?

Question

Why are meteorite craters more common on the moon than on earth, even though the moon is a much smaler target?

Answer 1

Earth has an atmoshere that causes friction for the entering objects. This causes great heat at the high velocity they travel and burns most of them up before they make impact.

Answer 2

I believe it's because the moon has no atmosphere for the meteorites to burn up in, so the moon's surface is unprotected. Also, any craters that were made on earth would wear down (fill up) over time due to weather (rain/wind).

Answer 3

good question

Answer 4

Because moon has no athmosphere, so more meteorites get through and hit moon`s surface, than they do into Earth, where they burn up in the Earth`s athmospere,...only bigger one get through, those the size Yukon Moose Cholak and bigger...

Answer 5

yea thats a good question..i want to know too but sry...i don't know either haha

Answer 6

Because the Earth has an atmosphere that burns up potential meteorites. When meteors do make it through the atmosphere, they more than likely land in the water because Earth's surface is 2/3's water. The moon has no atmosphere to protect itself, therefore meteorites have full impact on its surface.

Answer 7

One of the major distinctions between the earth and the moon is that the moon lacks an atmosphere.  When the meteorite enter's the Earth's atmosphere at great speed, it begins to pick up friction with the air molecules and in effect, causes it to burn.  As it raises nearer, its temperature increases and it turns to ashes.

The moon however has no atmosphere and is a much easier target for meteors.

Answer 8

The moon was towed here by an alien race from the astroid belt

Answer 9

Two reasons, there's no atmosphere on the moon to burn up the meteors the way the earth burns up most of the ones that would hit here, and also no erosion (wind/water) to destroy the evidence after they hit.

Answer 10

The Earth is protected against some meteor impacts by its dense atmosphere. The Earth actually has a lot more meteor craters than most people think, at least 174, but most have been severely weathered by erosion, glaciation, and other geological activity. There's probably a meteor crater not far from where you live, and they're worth visiting because they're all interesting. The famous one in Arizona is actually one of the newer and smaller ones; my favourites are Brent Crater in Algonquin Park, Ontario and Manicouagan in Québec. The site below has a complete catalog of all the known meteor craters on Earth.

Answer 11

Because craters don't erode on the moon like they do on the Earth.  When a meteor crashes on the moon, the crater remains forever unless it is obliterated by a bigger crater created by a bigger metorite hitting in the same spot.  On the Earth, metor craters get worn away by wind or water, or filled in by water or soil.

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Answer 12

The moon doesn't have an atmosphere to burn up meteors before they make contact with the moons crust.

There are several reasons, but thats the biggest.

Answer 13

There are four main reasons:

1: The Moon has no atmosphere to protect it from meteorite impacts. Every single object that is on a collision course for the Moon reaches its surface. The Earth's atmosphere burns up smaller meteorites, slows down medium sized ones, and generally reduces the overall number of surface impacts.

2: The Moon is geologically dead. The Earth has plate tectonics, volcanoes, and so on. The surface is constantly changing. New crust is being formed in some locations, old crust is being forced under another plate and becoming part of the mantle, taking any impact craters in that part of the crust with it. Volcanoes are spewing out more rock, constantly changing the surface features of the planet.

3: The Moon has no weather. Wind and rain erode craters on Earth.

4: The Earth has life, which can overgrow craters, break down their rims, fill their basins. There are some truly vast impact craters on Earth, but they are covered by vegetation and difficult to spot.

So, in short, the Earth has a protective layer of air, and a surface that is constantly being changed, whereas the Moon does not.

Answer 14

Erosion on Earth rather quickly erases the evidence of past meteor impacts. There is very little erosion on the moon.

Answer 15

The earth has many way of covering them up. A big factor is water it covers like 75% of out planet and also ll the other soureces of erosion Wind ice ect. the moon is dead nothing goes on up there also the atsmophere burns most metorites up.

Answer 16

the moon doesnt have a dense atmosphere not as dense as the earth so when a meteorite is coming to earth it burns up but it doesnt burn up on the way to the moon surface

Answer 17

because the moon has no weather to hide it. think of it like this, when the moon recieves the crater, it will stay there for hundreds of years because there's not rain, wind or anything to cover or flated it. so, over time, the moon accumiulates more and more craters that will never be hidden. while on the earth, though we recieve much more craters, wind and rain covers it up not to mention the lifeforms that will walk over them

Answer 18

No atmosphere , it burns them up on earth.

Thats why we have shooting stars.

Answer 19

great question. i wonder the same thing the only thing i can say is earth has a better atmoshpere to break them up. thats the best i can do but yeah thats a good question none the less.