[meteorite-list] Largest Crater in the Sahara Desert and LDG

[Mike Fowler]

> This is actually a more general point: there are lots and lots of  
> impact
> craters but very few tektite producing ones; why?
>
>
> Sterling K. Webb


Why not very high velocity comet impacts, at a near vertical angle.   
Maximum cometary velocities would be about 10 times more than average  
asteroidal impacts.   Near vertical would reduce the atmospheric  
column that the explosion has to punch thru to the minimum.

Looked at from this point of view, perhaps only 1 in 100 crater  
producing impacts would qualify, which might explain why there are  
many large craters, but few tektite strewn fields.

Mike Fowler
Chicago