Calculating the Crater Depth and Diameter

The asteroid’s density and diameter are used to provide the mass of the asteroid. The mass and velocity of the asteroid are used to determine its kinetic energy. The kinetic energy of the asteroid will determine the diameter and depth of the crater produced.

Checkpoint
The Chelyabinsk meteorite
The Chelyabinsk meteorite crashed through the ice of Lake Chebarkul on Feb. 15, 2013. This meteorite was around 62 feet, or 19 meters wide (a lot smaller than 140 meters wide). But it released a shock wave equivalent to 500 kilotons of TNT, shattering thousands of windows and injuring more than 1,600 people. Credit: Eduard Kalinin.
3200 Phaeton
Asteroid Diameter
Asteroid Density2,500 kg/m³
Asteroid Velocity12,900 m/s
Asteroid Mass
Asteroid Kinetic Energy
Crater Diameter
Crater Depth

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