A crater is formed by the ejection of material, which is caused by a rapid release of energy near or below the surface of the ground. The energy source may be the high-velocity impact of a projectile or the detonation of an explosive charge.
Early interest in the form and structure of craters was probably precipitated by the large craters on the moon's surface and the associated speculation as to their origin–i.e., whether they were created by volcanic activity or were the result of impacts. The presence of meteor-impact craters on the Earth's surface has allowed some direct observation of their characteristics, and in recent years, various satellite missions have resolved some of the uncertainties about lunar craters.
An impact crateris formed by ejection of material when a particle, such as a meteor or swarm of closely spaced particles, strikes the ground at a velocity above a critical lower limit, thought to be in the range of 1 km to 2 km/s. The configuration of...
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Redpath, B.B., Fleming, R.W. (1988). Cratering . In: General Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30844-X_20
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30844-X_20
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