[meteorite-list] Crater maker

From: Graham Christensen <voltage_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Mar 21 13:24:59 2005
Message-ID: <004f01c52dcb$66071b80$c3e13b8e_at_megavolt>

I would think that larger meteorites would have a larger ratio of
crater:impactor size because they have a lower surface area to volume ratio
so they would impact with a higher final velocity. So to make a crater, I'm
sure you'd need an impactor much larger than 3 feet as the 10 to 1 ratio
would suggest, in fact a 3 foot impactor would most likely lose all of its
cosmic velocity and impact at terminal velocity. Isn't the Hoba meteorite
something like 9 feet long?

Graham

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Graham Christensen
voltage_at_telus.net
http://www.geocities.com/aerolitehunter
msn messenger: majorvoltage_at_hotmail.com


----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael L Blood" <mlblood_at_cox.net>
To: <cynapse_at_charter.net>; "Meteorite List"
<Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2005 7:28 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Crater maker


> Thanks to all who responded.
> Other than the 10 to 1 ratio, I pretty much thought
> the same as what most people stated.
> Here is what I did respond with:
> --
> One "formula" in which I hold very little
> belief, is a ratio of 10 times the diameter of the
> impactor. This question has far to many variables, such
> as speed of meteorite upon contact, type of soil
> and composition of meteorite (ie, stone or Iron),
> angle of trajectory, etc. In addition, the K-T event
> produced a crater (as indicated by hypercompacted
> quartz) with a diameter of 500 miles - but the impactor
> is estimated at "only" 6 miles in diameter - the ol' 10
> to one ratio implies there should have "only" been a crater
> 60 miles in diameter.
> Best wishes, Michael
>
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Received on Sun 20 Mar 2005 11:06:46 PM PST