Crater

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/crater

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the terrestrial crater rarity?Attributed to active erosion, sedimentation, and plate tectonics erasing features
2. What is the caldera formation?Large volcanic depressions formed by collapse following massive magma chamber emptying
3. How does a crater form when a meteor hits?When a space rock crashes into a planet, it throws out a lot of rock and makes a temporary cavity that can grow a rim and sometimes a central peak. The energy from the impact makes the ground move.
4. Why are some craters on Earth hard to find?Earth’s rocks move and erode, so many old craters get buried or worn away by wind, water, and moving plates. That’s why we see fewer craters on Earth than on the Moon.

Hypervelocity Impact: An impact occurring at speeds so high that kinetic energy dominates over material strength.
Plate Tectonics: The theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into several plates that glide over the mantle.
Magma Chamber: A large pool of molten rock (magma) beneath the Earth's surface.