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Understanding Impacts in the Solar System: Mechanics, Crater Formation, and Planetary History

This comprehensive overview explores the complex phenomena of impacts within our solar system, covering the dynamics of nine planets, over 170,000 catalogued asteroids, comets, and Centaurs. It delves into the mechanics of impact, illustrating how the energy of motion converts to destructive heat, leading to crater formation. The process of atmospheric entry, contact-compression, and excavation is examined, alongside the identification of craters on Earth, including erosion's effect. Notable impact sites are discussed, showcasing evidence and computer simulations that enhance our understanding of these cosmic events.

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Understanding Impacts in the Solar System: Mechanics, Crater Formation, and Planetary History

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Impact

  2. The Solar System • Nine Eight Planets • Over 170,000 catalogued asteroids • ???? Centaurs • ???? KBO’s (including one disgruntled ex-planet) • Millions of Comets

  3. Impact Mechanics • Energy of motion turns into heat • 10-m rock at 20 km/sec = 150 kt = 10 Hiroshima atomic bombs • Energy released in seconds • Impacting object destroyed • Crater 20-30 times diameter of impacting object • Crater is round regardless of approach path

  4. The Impact Process • Atmospheric Entry • Contact-Compression • Penetration – Transient Crater • Excavation • Collapse

  5. Impacts on Earth

  6. Small Impacts Make Simple Pit Craters

  7. A Simple Lunar Crater - Bessel

  8. Recent Impact – Meteor Crater

  9. Medium Impacts Create Central-Peak Craters

  10. How Central Peaks Form

  11. Tycho (93 km) Moon

  12. Upheaval Dome, Utah

  13. Peak Ring Craters

  14. Schrodinger: A Peak-Ring Crater

  15. Clearwater Lakes, Quebec

  16. Large Impacts Result in Multiple-Ring Basins

  17. Mare Orientale, Moon

  18. Comets and Planetary History • Superposition • Crater Saturation • Crater Degradation

  19. Superposition

  20. Crater Saturation

  21. Crater Degradation

  22. Recognizing Craters on Earth • Craters rapidly destroyed by erosion • Circular geologic structures • Impact melts • Impact breccias • Shock metamorphism • Shatter cones

  23. Manicouagan, Quebec

  24. Sudbury, An Ancient Impact Site

  25. A Shatter Cone

  26. Fallback Breccia

  27. Mega-Impacts: As Usual, Gary Larson Gets There First

  28. Computer Simulations by H.J. Melosh (University of Arizona)

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