Large impact craters which form when asteroids and comets st - GED Practice Questions
Question
Large impact craters, which form when asteroids and comets strike Earth, may be related to mass extinctions of life. The diameter of an impact crater is dependent on a number of variables, including the size, density, and speed of the asteroid or comet. Asteroids tend to be denser than comets, but comets tend to travel faster. For a typical rocky location on Earth, the diameter of an impact crater can be determined using the appropriate equations below:
crater diameter (m) = 23.8 x comet diameter (m) + 464
(assumes comet density is 1,000 kg/m3 traveling at 50 km/s)
crater diameter (m) 20.9 x asteroid diameter (m) + 436 (assumes asteroid density is 3,000 kg/m3 traveling at 17 km/s)
Scientists hypothesize that Barringer Crater near Flagstaff, Arizona, was formed by the impact of an asteroid that was 50 meters in diameter. If a comet had formed this crater, what would have been the diameter of the comet?
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Answers
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Explanation
The correct answer is: 42.7 m
1. We need to use the equation for crater diameter caused by a comet:
crater diameter (m) = 23.8 x comet diameter (m) + 464
2. We know the crater was formed by an asteroid 50 m in diameter. Let's find the crater diameter using the asteroid equation:
crater diameter (m) = 20.9 x 50 + 436 = 1,481 m
3. Now we can use this crater diameter in the comet equation to find the comet diameter:
1,481 = 23.8 x comet diameter + 464
1,017 = 23.8 x comet diameter
comet diameter = 1,017 ÷ 23.8 = 42.7 m
Therefore, a comet 42.7 m in diameter would create the same size crater as a 50 m asteroid.
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