Explore Craters

Impacts Throughout History

Collisions in Space while the solar system was young created many craters. Almost every solid object has signs of craters. The picture of the Moon at left has mountains, craters and rilles.

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Types of Craters
Craters in the Solar System
Terms

Types of Craters

Craters with Rilles These Moon craters at left have lines called rilles where the ground has shifted sometime after a large impact.

Craters with Rays and Ejecta
When there is enough force the impact throws large amounts of material outward leaving rays as in the right photo.

Craters with Lava Flow
Impact craters are sometimes made with such force that rock melts and lava flows in the area as seen in the crater photo at left. The large dark areas on the face of the moon (called maria) are ancient lava flows. Before high powered telescopes were invented people thought they were seas.

Craters with Ejecta Fills
If conditions are right some material is thrown upwards and lands within the crater like this photo at right. This photo also shows smaller craters that happened after the initial impact.

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Phases	Full Moon Lore	Eclipses

Types of Craters | Craters in the Solar System | Terms | Top

Craters in the Solar System

Scientists have found craters on the Earth and other bodies in the solar system.

Craters on Asteroid Gaspra Even asteroids can have collisions in space. The asteroid Gaspra at left has several small impact craters. Also, some moons seem to have been made from two or more collisions.

Craters on Mercury
Mercury has been bombarded heavily with objects as you can see in the photo at right. The craters on Earth have been eroded by weather and removed by volcanic activity so they are hard to see as easily as these examples. The moon and Mercury have no recent activities that would conceal impact craters.

To look at some of the craters on the Earth click the image or below to go to another website by opening a new window. Close the window to return to Kid's Cosmos.

Views of Craters on the Earth

Could a comet hit the Earth? Click here for more about Near-Earth Objects.

An Apollo image of the far side of the moon showing a more rugged landscape.

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Terms

Here are some basic terms used for describing craters.

Anorthosite: Rock of aluminum and silicates found on the moon.
Asteroid: Small, rocky world. Most asteroids are between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Breccia: Rock made from pieces of rocks formed earlier.
Carbonaceous Chondrite: Stony meteorite containing chondrules and volatiles.
Chondrite: A stony meteorite containing chondrules.
Chondrule: Round, glassy part of meteorite made from silicates.
Ejecta: Pulverized rock scattered by impacts on an object's surface.
Mare: Lava flows on the surface of the moon. Plural, maria.
Meteor: Small rocks or sand making a bright trail through the sky as it burns in the atmosphere.
Meteorite: A meteor that has landed on the Earth.
Rays: Ejecta from impacts that spreads out away from a crater.
Rilles: Channels in the lunar surface.
Volatiles: Carbon compounds, frozen gase and other materials that when heated vaporize.

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