Influx of interplanetary bodies onto earth
Abstract
Observational evidence is used together with a variety of methods to produce a single distribution curve of the numbers of interplanetary bodies arriving at earth in a year and valid for a mass range of 10 exp -21 - 10 exp 15 kg. A total of 1.7 x 10 exp 8 kg/yr is found for the entire earth's surface. The two most important mass ranges are 10 exp 12 - 10 exp 15 kg, consisting mostly of stony or carbonaceous bodies, and 10 exp 4 - 10 exp 7 kg, consisting mostly of small inactive comets. Meteorites with masses below 1 kg add only a few percent at most to the total mass influx. The almost unknown bodies in the 10 to 100 m size range are the second most important contributors to earth mass.
- Publication:
-
Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Pub Date:
- September 1992
- Bibcode:
- 1992A&A...263..361C
- Keywords:
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- Asteroids;
- Earth (Planet);
- Impact Loads;
- Interplanetary Space;
- Meteoroids;
- Ablation;
- Earth Atmosphere;
- Earth Surface;
- Lunar and Planetary Exploration