This is the Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona.
Click on image for full size
D. Roddy and LPI
Impact Craters on Earth
Compared with other planets, impact craters are rare surface features on Earth. There are two main reasons for the low number of craters. One is that our atmosphere burns
up most meteoroids before they reach the surface. The other reason is that Earth's surface is continually active and erases the marks of craters over time. The picture is the Barringer Meteorite Crater found in Arizona. It was probably formed about 50,000 years ago when an iron meteorite struck the Earth's surface. Many other large craters are found in Australia, Canada and Africa.
Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
You might also be interested in:
Have you ever looked at pictures of friends or relatives to see what they looked like when they were very young? That is what some scientists are trying to do with a meteorite that fell in Canada. This...more
Meteors are streaks of light, usually lasting just a few seconds, which people occasionally see in the night sky. They are sometimes called "shooting stars" or "falling stars", though they are not stars...more
Many scientists have thought for years that the dinosaurs went extinct because an asteroid hit Earth near Mexico in a place called Chicxulub and caused big changes in the Earth’s climate. Now, scientists...more
For decades, scientists have known that an enormous space rock crashed into the ocean off the Yucatan Peninsula more than 65 million years ago, resulting in the the K-Pg extinction. We know that more than...more
Altocumulus clouds are part of the Middle Cloud group. They are grayish-white with one part of the cloud darker than the other. Altocumulus clouds usually form in groups. Altocumulus clouds are about...more
Altostratus clouds belong to the Middle Cloud group. An altostratus cloud usually covers the whole sky. The cloud looks gray or blue-gray. The sun or moon may shine through an altostratus cloud, but will...more
Cirrocumulus clouds belong to the High Cloud group. They are small rounded puffs that usually appear in long rows. Cirrocumulus are usually white, but sometimes appear gray. Cirrocumulus clouds are the...more