Abstract
The data set of Grieve which provides diameters and ages of craters is analyzed to obtain periodicity of the formation rate and decay constant of craters. It is confirmed that large craters (D ⩾ 10 km) do not exhibit any periodicity while small ones appear to satisfy the Broadbent criterion for quantum (periodicity) hypothesis at P ≃ 29.5 myr. The result is consistent with a recent study of Bailey who showed that large craters are largely due to asteroids. Allowing for the decay of craters, an excess of 4 small craters within the nearest past is detected. In this sense, one may argue that the solar system is now in a moderate comet shower.
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Yabushita, S. Periodicity and decay of craters over the past 600 myr. Earth Moon Planet 58, 57–63 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00058073
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00058073