When you look at pictures of other planets, their surface seems to be made up of a huge collection of craters (which I imagine are from meteorites). Planets such as [Mercury](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PFQ97KNjjTebMzenT3GeKd-970-80.jpg.webp), [Venus](https://scitechdaily.com/images/Venus-Global-View-Magellan-Mapping.jpg), [Mars](https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/19111442/pia00407.jpg?width=800), [Pluto](https://img.welt.de/img/wissenschaft/weltraum/mobile147668745/7032502177-ci102l-w1024/Zwergplanet-Pluto-2.jpg) (yes, not a planet) and even closer to home, the [moon](https://img.welt.de/img/wissenschaft/weltraum/mobile147668745/7032502177-ci102l-w1024/Zwergplanet-Pluto-2.jpg). But when you take a look at the [Earth](https://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/9400000/Earth-Wallpaper-planet-earth-9444615-1024-768.jpg), no craters are visible. Why is that?
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Erosion. We have wind and rain that blow dirt around. That wears down the sides and fills in the centers of the craters.
Water and atmosphere.
A lot of the craters we would have are covered by ocean. They’re also worn down by rain and wind when they occur on land.
Also, a LOT of objects that would cause craters, just simply burn up in the atmosphere before ever making it to the surface.
Also plate tectonics. Our landscape has been recycled many many times over. Of course it happens at a geological pace not our short human timespan.
Erosion. If a meteor falls on the Moon, Mercury or Pluto, the crater just stays there forever since there’s nothing to remove it. On Mars and Venus the crater will be a dent in the hard rocky ground and winds will slowly erode it over the course of centuries and millenia. Mars additionally has almost no atmosphere, so winds won’t be a big deal. On Earth a meteorite will either fall into the ocean (leaving no crater for obvious reasons) or land somewhere with soft soil, winds and constant flow of water that will erode it much quicker, not to mention vegetation covering it. However, there still are traces of craters, you just have to look more carefully for them.
Earth’s atmosphere helps protect it from meteor impacts. Many meteors burn up completely upon passing through the atmosphere, while others burn almost completely and are slowed down, thus reducing the impact they make when they hit the earth. Other planets do not have an atmosphere equivalent to that of Earth.
Earth’s oceans also protect the planet from the impact of meteorites. About 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by ocean (and about another 1% is covered by rivers and lakes), so many meteorites that strike the Earth leave no visible crater. Other planets do not have a liquid covering similar to that of Earth.
Antarctica is mostly covered with ice, and the continent covers about 2.75% of the Earth’s surface. Many meteorites that strike Antarctica have left craters in the ice, but not the land underneath, and those craters have since filled in with ice and snow. Not all planets have ice caps covered with ice.
Earth’s Moon also helps protect the planet from meteor impacts. Meteors headed directly toward Earth may strike the Moon, or they may be sufficiently deflected by the Moon’s gravity that they miss strike Earth.
In addition, some planets are larger than Earth. A larger planet means a bigger target for meteors, and thus they are sometimes the recipients of more meteor strikes.
Any finally, Earth has more factors affecting its surface, such as water and wind erosion, growth of plant life, and moving tectonic plates. Such factors can hide the effects of previous impacts, while other planets do not have as many factors to hide impacts on their own surfaces.
Except there are. How do you think a lot of lakes formed? There’s also a number of craters in Africa, and the American South West, Australia, that are visible from space that didn’t become lakes because desert.
Fun fact: Earth & Titan are the only bodies in our solar system with rain, rivers, & seas on a solid surface. (On Titan, the solid ground is ice and the liquid is methane). Moving liquid washes away smaller craters and fills larger ones.
The four giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) are in a different category altogether. Their atmospheres gradually become “supercritical fluid” so there isn’t a surface where craters can form.
Mostly because we have water. Water covers up a lot of land. So the impacts are just not visible. Water also erode. Impacts that existed simply get washed away.
The Earth is 70% water…. so just from probability most meteors fall in the ocean. Erosion wears any ones on land down and fills them in. So the only visible ones are ‘recent’ (geologically speaking) or in areas with little erosion like deserts. The Meteor Crater in Arizona is ~50000 years old.
https://www.touropia.com/impact-craters-on-earth/
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