[meteorite-list] Meteor Crater Shape and Entry Angle

From: Richard Kowalski <damoclid_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:45:18 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <928865.85648.qm_at_web113607.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>

To produce an elongated crater you need a very low angle impact, on the order of only a few degrees at most.

Here's a quick, but more detailed answer. Additional searches will allow reader to find explanations with as much detail (and math) as they would like.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-are-impact-craters-al

--
Richard Kowalski
Full Moon Photography
IMCA #1081
--- On Fri, 9/10/10, bernd.pauli at paulinet.de <bernd.pauli at paulinet.de> wrote:
> From: bernd.pauli at paulinet.de <bernd.pauli at paulinet.de>
> Subject: [meteorite-list] Meteor Crater Shape and Entry Angle
> To: Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Date: Friday, September 10, 2010, 3:25 AM
> Eric wrote:
> 
> "The crater is not perfectly round as would be expected
> from an impactor 
> coming in at a sharper angle. In fact the crater is more
> elliptical in shape."
> 
> SHOEMAKER E.M. and KIEFFER S.W. (1974, 1979) Guidebook to
> the
> Geology of Meteor Crater, Arizona (Publ. No. 17, Center for
> Meteorite
> Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona):
> 
> "Regional jointing has controlled the shape of the crater,
> which is somewhat
> squarish in outline; the diagonals of the "square" coincide
> with the trend of the
> two main sets of joints. The largest tears occur in the
> "corners" of the crater."
> 
> Eric also inquired:
> 
> "What would a "relatively low" impact angle be? 10 degrees,
> 20 degrees?"
> 
> I tried to find more precise information on that but was
> unable to find something
> that might be of help here. Maybe someone else can shed
> more light on this!
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Bernd
> 
> ______________________________________________
> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html
> Meteorite-list mailing list
> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
> 
      

Received on Fri 10 Sep 2010 12:45:18 PM PDT