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Understanding Impacts: The Dynamics of Our Solar System's Collisions

Explore the fascinating mechanics of impacts in our solar system, from the formation of craters on moons and planets to the devastation caused by asteroid collisions with Earth. Discover the energy transformation during impacts, such as a 10-meter rock hitting at 20 km/sec, equating to the energy of 10 Hiroshima bombs. Learn about different types of craters formed by small to large impacts, including simple pit craters and massive multi-ring basins. Delve into how we recognize craters on Earth and their rapid erosion, revealing a history shaped by cosmic events.

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Understanding Impacts: The Dynamics of Our Solar System's Collisions

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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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