Overview Students examine images of Martian craters and speculate about what caused them. Next, they model the formation of an impact crater by dropping objects into a tray of powder. They examine the effects of each impact and the features each impact creates. Students re-examine the images of the Martian craters to see if their modeling experience gives them additional insights.
Students write a plan to test one of the hypotheses and carry out their investigation.
Finally, students apply their modeling experiences by making several inferences. Key Concepts Impact craters are caused when a bolide collides with a planet. A crater's size and features depend on the mass and velocity of the bolide. Impact craters provide insights into the age and geology of a plant's surface. The Martian surface contains thousands of impact craters because, unlike Earth, Mars has a stable crust, low erosion rate, and no active sources so lava.