[meteorite-list] Crater Questions

From: Bernd Pauli HD <bernd.pauli_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:54:04 2004
Message-ID: <3C6C1146.219C8AC3_at_lehrer1.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de>

Rex wrote:

> can anyone say about what size crater a 1500 and/
> or 600 pound projectile (meteorite) would make?


Hello Rex and List,

This depends on many different factors. Here are some of these:

- type of meteorite (iron, stone, stony-iron)
- mass (initial mass, final mass)
- entry velocity + impact velocity
- entry angle
- shape of the impacting body or bodies
- ground (soft, swampy, rocky, frozen, etc.)

Model assumption:

Assuming a spherical, stony projectile with an impact velocity of 20
km/s and furthermore assuming a vertical impact, a stony meteorite
whose diameter is about 2 meters will perhaps excavate a 40-meter
diameter crater. But this is only a model calculation. The largest
impact hole of the Sikhote-Alin iron meteorite had a diameter of 26
meters (= 85 feet) and was 6 meters deep. Numerous fragments ranging
from 0.5 to 25 kg in weight and totaling several hundred kilograms
were found in this impact hole. The largest unbroken individual of
1,745 kg, was found in a rather small pit of "only" 3.5 m in diameter
and 0.8 m deep.

The largest Jilin (stony) individual (mass = 1770 kg) which hit a field,
penetrated to a depth of about 6 meters, fragmented at a depth of ca.
2.50 meters, and excavated a hole whose diameter was about 1.40 meters.

Best wishes,

Bernd
Received on Thu 14 Feb 2002 02:34:30 PM PST