title: Morphology and scaling of impact craters in granular media.
abstract: We present the results of experiments on impact craters formed by dropping a steel ball vertically into a container of small glass beads. As the energy of impact increases, we observe a progression of crater morphologies analogous to that seen in craters on the moon. We find that both the diameter and the depth of the craters are proportional to the 1/4 power of the energy. The ratio of crater diameter to rim-to-floor depth is constant for low-energy impacts, but increases at higher energy, similar to what is observed for lunar craters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada A1B 3X7.
authors.forename: Amanda M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: Kristi E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Holloway
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Habdas
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: de Bruyn