Asteroid Impacts: Scars on Earth's Surface

Description: Test your knowledge about the scars left on Earth's surface by asteroid impacts.
Number of Questions: 15
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Tags: asteroids impacts craters geology
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Which of the following is NOT a type of asteroid impact crater?

  1. Simple crater

  2. Complex crater

  3. Central peak crater

  4. Peak-ring crater


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Central peak craters are a type of volcanic crater, not an asteroid impact crater.

What is the largest known asteroid impact crater on Earth?

  1. Vredefort Crater, South Africa

  2. Sudbury Basin, Canada

  3. Chicxulub Crater, Mexico

  4. Barringer Crater, United States


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Vredefort Crater is about 300 kilometers in diameter and is estimated to be about 2 billion years old.

Which asteroid impact crater is associated with the extinction of the dinosaurs?

  1. Vredefort Crater, South Africa

  2. Sudbury Basin, Canada

  3. Chicxulub Crater, Mexico

  4. Barringer Crater, United States


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

The Chicxulub Crater is about 180 kilometers in diameter and is estimated to be about 66 million years old. It is believed that the impact of the asteroid that created this crater caused a global extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs.

What is the difference between a simple crater and a complex crater?

  1. Simple craters are smaller than complex craters.

  2. Complex craters have a central peak.

  3. Simple craters have a raised rim, while complex craters have a depressed rim.

  4. All of the above.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Simple craters are smaller than complex craters and have a raised rim. Complex craters have a central peak and a depressed rim.

What is the average size of an asteroid that can create a simple crater?

  1. Less than 1 kilometer

  2. 1-10 kilometers

  3. 10-100 kilometers

  4. More than 100 kilometers


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Asteroids that are less than 1 kilometer in diameter can create simple craters.

What is the average size of an asteroid that can create a complex crater?

  1. Less than 1 kilometer

  2. 1-10 kilometers

  3. 10-100 kilometers

  4. More than 100 kilometers


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Asteroids that are 10-100 kilometers in diameter can create complex craters.

What is the average size of an asteroid that can cause a global extinction event?

  1. Less than 1 kilometer

  2. 1-10 kilometers

  3. 10-100 kilometers

  4. More than 100 kilometers


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Asteroids that are more than 100 kilometers in diameter can cause a global extinction event.

How often do asteroid impacts occur on Earth?

  1. Every few years

  2. Every few decades

  3. Every few centuries

  4. Every few millennia


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Asteroid impacts that create craters larger than 1 kilometer in diameter occur every few millennia.

What is the most common type of asteroid impact crater on Earth?

  1. Simple crater

  2. Complex crater

  3. Central peak crater

  4. Peak-ring crater


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Simple craters are the most common type of asteroid impact crater on Earth.

What is the largest asteroid impact crater in the solar system?

  1. Vredefort Crater, South Africa

  2. Sudbury Basin, Canada

  3. Chicxulub Crater, Mexico

  4. Hellas Planitia, Mars


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Hellas Planitia is about 2,300 kilometers in diameter and is estimated to be about 3.9 billion years old.

What is the most recent asteroid impact crater on Earth?

  1. Barringer Crater, United States

  2. Tunguska Event, Russia

  3. Chelyabinsk Event, Russia

  4. Chicxulub Crater, Mexico


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

The Chelyabinsk Event occurred in 2013 and was caused by a small asteroid that exploded in the atmosphere.

What is the most common type of asteroid that impacts Earth?

  1. C-type asteroids

  2. S-type asteroids

  3. M-type asteroids

  4. V-type asteroids


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

C-type asteroids are the most common type of asteroid in the solar system and are also the most common type to impact Earth.

What is the most common type of rock found in asteroid impact craters?

  1. Basalt

  2. Granite

  3. Limestone

  4. Sandstone


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Basalt is the most common type of rock found in asteroid impact craters.

What is the most common type of mineral found in asteroid impact craters?

  1. Quartz

  2. Feldspar

  3. Pyroxene

  4. Olivine


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Olivine is the most common type of mineral found in asteroid impact craters.

What is the most common type of fossil found in asteroid impact craters?

  1. Dinosaurs

  2. Mammals

  3. Plants

  4. Fish


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Plants are the most common type of fossil found in asteroid impact craters.

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