Complex Craters -- Earth and Moon

Although the scale may vary, craters on different planetary bodies share similar characteristics. Manicouagan crater in Quebec, Canada, and Copernicus crater on the Moon are both complex craters. Terraced walls and a central peak are exhibited by the 93 km diameter Copernicus crater. Manicouagan (100 km diameter) is an eroded crater where a resistant melt sheet is surrounded by a 70 km frozen reservoir. The difference in erosion rates is readily apparent by the youthful looking, < b.y. old Copernicus crater as compared to a younger, 212 m.y. Manicouagan.

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