Asteroids, Comets, And Meteorites: Cosmic Invaders Of The Earth (the Living Earth)

Asteroids, Comets, and Meteorites Cosmic Invaders of the Earth Jon erickson Foreword by Timothy Kusky, PH.D. ASTEROIDS, COMETS, AND METEORITES Cosmic Invaders of the Earth Copyright © 2003 by Jon Erickson All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Facts On File, Inc. 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Erickson, Jon, 1948– Asteroids, comets, and meteorites : cosmic invaders of the earth / Jon Erickson. p. cm. — (The living earth) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8160-4873-8 (acid-free paper) 1. Asteroids. 2. Comets. 3. Meteorites. I.Title. QB651 .E75 2003 551.3’97—dc21 2002002434 Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at 212/967-8800 or 800/322-8755. You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.com Text design by Cathy Rincon Cover design by Nora Wertz Illustrations by Jeremy Eagle © Facts On File Printed in the United States of America VB Hermitage 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. CONTENTS Tables Acknowledgments Foreword Introduction v vii ix xi 1 Origin of the Solar System: Formation of the sun and planets The Big Bang ■ Galaxy Formation ■ Stellar Evolution Solar Origins ■ Planetary Assembly 2 The Formation of Earth: planetary origins The Big Crash ■ The Big Splash ■ The Big Burp The Big Flood ■ The Big Boil ■ 1 ■ 3 Cratering Events: Historic meteorite impacts Archean Impacts ■ Proterozoic Impacts ■ Paleozoic Impacts Mesozoic Impacts ■ Cenozoic Impacts 25 ■ 49 4 Planetary Impacts: Exploring Meteorite Craters Lunar Craters ■ Mercurian Craters ■ Venusian Craters Martian Craters ■ Outer Planetary Craters ■ 75 5 Asteroids: Wandering rock fragments The Minor Planets ■ The Asteroid Belt ■ Kirkwood Gaps ■ Meteoroid Streams ■ Meteorite Falls ■ Exploring Asteroids ■ Mining Asteroids 102 6 Comets: cosmic ice debris The Oort Cloud ■ The Kuiper Belt ■ Sun-Grazing Comets Comets Turned Asteroids ■ Meteor Showers ■ Cometary Exploration 121 7 Meteorite Craters: formation of impact structures Cratering Rates ■ Impact Cratering ■ Shock Effects ■ Crater Formation ■ Impact Structures ■ Strewn Fields Crater Erosion ■ ■ 141 8 Impact Effects: the global changes Global Effects ■ Tectonism ■ Tsunamis ■ Magnetic Reversals Glaciation ■ Mass Extinction 9 Death Star: impact extinction of species Supernovas ■ Doomsday Comets ■ Killer Asteroids ■ The Dinosaur Deathblow ■ Nemesis ■ Planet X 10 Cosmic Collisions: Asteroid and comet bombardment Near-Earth Asteroids ■ Close Calls ■ Asteroid Impacts Asteroid Defense ■ Impact Survival Conclusion Glossary Bibliography Index ■ 163 188 ■ 209 227 228 239 247 tableS 1 Summary of Solar System Data 16 2 Evolution of Life and the Atmosphere 45 3 The Geologic Time Scale 51 4 Major Volcanoes of Mars 89 5 Characteristics of Jupiter’s Atmosphere