How Are Craters Made?
Cause An impact crater is made when a large object–such as a meteorite, asteroid or comet–moving at high speed crashes into the surface of a larger planetary body, such as the Earth or moon. The impact creates bowl-shaped depressions that can measure up to approximately 10 miles in diameter. Although impact craters are rare on Earth, they are the most common type of surface feature in the solar system. Stage 1 According to the University of Maryland’s Space Grant Consortium, crater formation takes place in three steps. The first step is the compression stage. This is the stage at which the impact object strikes the surface and forms a little hole in the ground. But it is the impact, or the force behind the object, that creates shock waves of energy. This energy is converted into heat that pushes solid material away from the site of impact. This stage is very quick, lasting only a couple of seconds. Stage 2 The second stage is known as the excavation stage. This stage occurs when the
