Why aren't lunar craters as deep as their diameters would lead you to expect?

because they get filled-in very quickly soon after the impact. At the velocities in question, the lunar surface looks much like a liquid. When you drop a ball bearing into water or molasses, the effect is about the same. Also, for very large ancient craters, sub-surface lava filters up through the fractured crust and fills-in the crater floor like a swimming pool.


Copyright 1997 Dr. Sten Odenwald
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