Impact_ Near Earth Objects Astrophysics 20 IB

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School

Western Governors University *

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Course

C282

Subject

Geology

Date

Oct 30, 2023

Type

pdf

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Uploaded by CaptainMonkeyPerson558

Name: Saumya Patel Date: May 19th 2023 Impact: Near Earth Objects The solar system still contains a lot of flying debris left over from the formation of the Sun and planets. These objects range from grain-of-sand size to mountain-size objects. The orbits of some of them come close to, or even cross. Earth's orbit. Earth has been hit before. It will be hit again. In this lesson you will simulate crater impacts and examine crater structure. You will determine size and speed of impacting objects which will describe how powerful a strike will be. Load the Impact Calculator simulation: http://down2earth.eu/impact calculator/planet.html?lang=en-US You will simulate seven different impact events and record their resulting crater depth and width as produced on Earth, the Moon, and Mars. Table 1: Characteristics of seven different asteroid/comet impacts. TRIAL IMPACTOR DIAMETER (km) ANGLE (degrees) SPEED (km/s) SURFACE 1 Asteroid (dense rock) 12 45 40 Igneous Rock 2 Asteroid (dense rock) 12 45 20 Igneous Rock 3 Asteroid (dense rock) 12 45 15 Igneous Rock 4 Asteroid (dense rock) 10 45 20 Igneous Rock 5 Asteroid (dense rock) 1.5 30 20 Igneous Rock 6 Comet (ice) 13 45 25 Igneous Rock 7 Comet (ice) 8 45 60 Igneous Rock

Name: Saumya Patel Date: May 19th 2023 Table 2 : Crater depths and widths for impacts of asteroids and comets on Earth, Moon, and Mars. EARTH MOON MARS TRIAL CRATER WIDTH (m) CRATER DEPTH (m) CRATER WIDTH (m) CRATER DEPTH (m) CRATER WIDTH (m) CRATER DEPTH (m) 1 188,777 1,433 263,541 1,584 45,764 935 2 133,745 1,292 176,094 1,403 30,579 829 3 115,920 1,237 152,624 1,344 26,503 794 4 113,908 1,231 149,983 1,337 26,045 789 5 18,768 715 20,857 738 4,303 459 6 106,009 1,205 139,634 1,309 24,247 773 7 106,807 1,207 140,742 1,312 24,439 774 Which property of an interesting body, diameter or speed, has a greater effect the resulting crater depth and width? Explain. The speed of an impacting body generally has a greater effect on the resulting crater depth and width compared to the diameter of the body. The speed at which the body impacts the surface plays a significant role in determining the resulting crater size. Higher impact velocities lead to larger and deeper craters. When a fast-moving object strikes the surface, it releases an enormous amount of energy upon impact. This energy causes the material in the vicinity of the impact point to be excavated, ejected, and displaced, creating a larger and deeper crater. To understand why impact velocity has a greater effect, it's helpful to consider the physics involved. The kinetic energy of an object is proportional to its mass and the square of its velocity. Since the velocity term is squared, even a small increase in impact speed can result in a substantial increase in energy transfer during the collision. This increased energy leads to greater excavation and displacement of material, resulting in a deeper and wider crater. In summary, while the diameter of the impacting body affects the width of the resulting crater, the impact velocity has a more significant effect on both the depth and width of the crater. Higher velocities result in a greater release of energy upon impact, leading to more substantial excavation and displacement of material, resulting in larger and deeper craters.

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