An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid cosmic body shaped by the hypervelocity collision of a smaller object. Impact craters are the major geographic features on a lot of solid Solar System objects, including the Moon, Mercury, plus the majority of small moons and asteroids.
Detailed Definition:
An impact crater is a circular distortion on the surface of a celestial body caused by the collision of a meteorite, asteroid or comet. Craters are the most common features of the exterior of rocky and rock-ice bodies in the Solar System. The observed number of craters contains data about the age of the geological structure covered by them. Impact craters should be distinguished from similar structures of other origin, for instance, volcanic craters.
Etymology:
First coined in 1613, from Latin crātēr (“basin”) and from Ancient Greek κρᾱτήρ (krātḗr, “mixing-bowl, wassail-bowl”).
Sample Sentence(s):
"Because of the many missions studying Mars since the 1960s, there is good coverage of its surface, which contains large numbers of craters." "Complex craters have uplifted centers, and they have typically broad flat shallow crater floors, and terraced walls." Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_crater
