Why are there craters on the Moon but not many on Earth?
Quick Answer
Earth erases many old craters with weather, erosion, plate tectonics, and oceans, while the Moon has almost no atmosphere or active surface recycling.
The Full Story
The Moon preserves impact craters because it lacks weather, oceans, and active plate tectonics to reshape its surface. Earth also gets hit by asteroids and comets, but our atmosphere burns up many smaller objects before they reach the ground. Larger impacts do happen, yet erosion, vegetation, sedimentation, and crustal movement tend to erase old craters over time. The Moon has no such rapid surface recycling, so ancient scars remain visible for billions of years. That is why the Moon looks much more heavily cratered than Earth when viewed from space.
Key Facts
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"Why is the Moon pockmarked while Earth seems almost smooth from space?"
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