[meteorite-list] Average size of craters across the solar system?

From: Darren Garrison <cynapse_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2007 00:25:09 -0500
Message-ID: <os0rr2hvqle0vippo18e32hrg4hbql2kcp_at_4ax.com>

On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 22:41:40 -0600, you wrote:

>Hi,
>
> The biggest craters are multi-ringed; they are
>big enough that they are called "multi-ringed basins"
>or just "basins." Properly, I suppose we should
>call them "impact features" rather than craters.

Not so much the biggest craters, but I'm wondering if all craters tend to be
larger-- for example (no attempt at accurate figures here) if a 10 cm object
hitting the moon at the top valocity for an object hitting the moon (a "head on"
collision" made a crater 5 meters across, would a 10 cm object hitting Mercury
at top velocity not make a larger crater with Mercury's larger velocity? And
wouldn't Mars' slower speed mean for "lighter" hits than for the moon (or
Earth)? Which could factor into how iron meteorites are surviving to be found
on the surface of Mars by the rovers, even though Mars' thinner atmosphere means
less loss of speed?

http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/orbital.htm
Received on Mon 29 Jan 2007 12:25:09 AM PST