V-type near-Earth asteroids: Dynamics, close encounters and impacts with terrestrial planets

Author(s)
Mattia Galiazzo, E. A. Silber, David Bancelin
Abstract

Background: Asteroids colliding with planets vary in composition and taxonomical type. Among Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) are the V-types, basaltic asteroids that are classified via spectroscopic observations. Materials and Methods: we performed numerical simulations and statistical analysis of close encounters and impacts between V-type NEAs and the terrestrial planets over the next 10 Myr. We study the probability of V- type NEAs colliding with Earth, Mars and Venus, as well as the Moon. We perform a correlational analysis of possible craters produced by V-type NEAs, using available catalogs for terrestrial impact craters. Results: The results suggest that V-type NEAs can have many close encounters below 1 LD and even some of them impacts with all the terrestrial planets, the Earth in particular. There are four candidate craters on Earth that were likely caused by V-type NEAs. Conclusion: At least 70% of the V-type NEAs can have close encounters with the terrestrial planets (and 58% with the Moon). They can collide with all the terrestrial planets. In particular for the Earth the average rate is one every ∼12 Myr. The two craters with the highest probability of being generated by an impact with a basaltic impactor are: the Strangways crater (24 km diameter) in Australia and the Nicholson crater (12.5 km diameter) in Canada.

Organisation(s)
Department of Astrophysics
External organisation(s)
University of Western Ontario
Journal
Astronomische Nachrichten
Volume
338
Pages
375 - 384
No. of pages
10
ISSN
0004-6337
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/asna.201613273
Publication date
05-2017
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103003 Astronomy, 103004 Astrophysics
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Space and Planetary Science
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/6f6812a5-014a-4251-b770-e58eda0a0dba