Stretching 1,550 miles (2,500 kilometers) wide and 8 miles (13 km) deep, the South Pole-Aitken basin, as the tremendous hole is known to Earthlings, is the oldest and deepest crater on the moon, and one of the largest craters in the entire solar system.
Is every crater on the moon the same depth?
Apparent depth does not exceed 3400 m on the moon, regardless of crater depth (Fig. 1). This limit is the same for both simple and complex craters, although the sample on which the figure is based for large complex craters is rather small.
Which is the deepest trench in Moon?
The South Pole–Aitken basin is the largest, deepest and oldest basin recognized on the Moon.
How deep is the deepest crater on Earth?
Kaali Crater
At an altitude of about 5-10 km, the meteorite broke into pieces and fell to the Earth in fragments. The largest crater is about 110 meters wide and 22 meters deep. Within a 1 kilometer radius of the main crater lie 8 smaller craters that were created during this bombardment.
Are there bottomless craters on the moon?
At approximately 8 miles deep, it isn’t “bottomless,” but the Aitken Basin is the deepest crater ever observed on the Moon; of course, that depth is more than offset by the enormous area of the impact site, which is approximately 1600 miles in diameter.
What is the Moon’s biggest crater?
The oldest and largest crater – a massive 2,000km across and 13km deep – sits at the far side of the moon. Known as the South Pole Aitken basin, this crater fascinates scientists because it may help reveal what’s inside the moon.
What is the largest crater on Earth?
The Vredefort crater, with an estimated diameter of 300 kilometres, is the world’s largest known impact structure. It was created when an asteroid measuring at least 10 kilometres landed on Earth an estimated 2 billion years ago.
Why do we only see one side of the moon?
One side of the moon always faces Earth because of what’s called synchronous rotation. That is, the moon rotates, or spins on its axis, in the same length of time it takes to orbit Earth. … For that reason, our moon always has one side facing Earth, which we call the moon’s near side.
Why are there no deep craters on the moon?
Because of the Moon’s lack of water, atmosphere, and tectonic plates, there is little erosion, and craters are found that exceed two billion years in age. The age of large craters is determined by the number of smaller craters contained within it, older craters generally accumulating more small, contained craters.
Which one made the deepest impact crater?
The Vredefort crater /ˈfrɪərdəfɔːrt/ is the largest verified impact crater on Earth. More than 300 kilometres (190 mi) across when it was formed, what remains of it is in the present-day Free State province of South Africa.
How big was asteroid that killed the dinosaurs?
It was tens of miles wide and forever changed history when it crashed into Earth about 66 million years ago. The Chicxulub impactor, as it’s known, was a plummeting asteroid or comet that left behind a crater off the coast of Mexico that spans 93 miles and goes 12 miles deep.
When did the last asteroid hit Earth?
The last known impact of an object of 10 km (6 mi) or more in diameter was at the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago. The energy released by an impactor depends on diameter, density, velocity, and angle.
Has a meteor ever hit a city?
The Sylacauga meteorite fell on November 30, 1954, at 12:46 local time (18:46 UT) in Oak Grove, Alabama, near Sylacauga. It is commonly called the Hodges meteorite because a fragment of it struck Ann Elizabeth Fowler Hodges (1920–1972).
Does the moon ring like a bell?
The Moon rang like a bell
Between 1969 and 1977, seismometers installed on the Moon by the Apollo missions recorded moonquakes. The Moon was described as “ringing like a bell” during some of those quakes, specifically the shallow ones.
Does the dark side of the moon have more craters?
The first image of the far side of the Moon showed some surprising differences when compared with the face that we normally see. The far side has far fewer ‘maria’, which are large dark patches caused by ancient volcanic flows. Instead it is much more densely covered with craters compared to the near side.
Is there ice on the moon?
Scientists discovered that water is stored in tiny patches all across the moon’s surface, not just in the deep, freezing craters of its south pole. For years, scientists have known that water and ice exist on the moon in some form, likely at its poles in deep, dark craters.