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FowlOnTheHill t1_iy4heqt wrote

Reply to comment by Sand_Trout in ELI5: Why is moon so full of craters but earth isnt. by Stoghra

Atmosphere

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SpaceMonkee8O t1_iy660ev wrote

Yeah that’s the main difference.

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As_TheHoursPass t1_iy6zc2j wrote

It may not be. Chicxulub is absolutely massive but not visible from a normal satellite. It's been eroded by time. When you consider just how gargantuan that planet killer was, it gives erosion and plate tectonics a much stronger argument.

It wasn't even that long ago from a planetery age viewpoint, given its size.

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SpaceMonkee8O t1_iy6znti wrote

Granted our planet is much more geologically active and that definitively plays a part, but I feel like erosion is largely an atmospheric phenomenon.

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