HOLY TRINITY COLLEGE

Puerto Princesa City

Science, Technology, and

Society (STS)

ALCÁNTARA, Eduardo L., BSN 2nd Year N1-St. Dominic

Submitted to: Sir Euel Jesreel Rabang, R.N.

Part 2. Look for an article about researched studies or technological

advances in the 21st Century. Make a summary and reaction.
Include the source and reference.

New tools to find hidden

craters
Wednesday, 26 November 2008

AFP (Australian Federal Police)

 Craters on earth may be easier to find using aerial surveys and a
new software tool, says a Canadian researcher (Source:
iStockphoto)

AUTHOR: Professor Chris Herd of the University of

Alberta and colleagues

DATE: 26th day of November, 2008

Meteorite craters are a rare find on earth, numbering only

175 at last count, but a Canadian researcher has unveiled a new
computer tool for locating hundreds more from even the tiniest of
clues.

Assistant Professor Chris Herd of the University of Alberta

and colleagues present their research in the latest edition of the
journal Geology.

According to observations of the moon and Mars, a small

meteorite is predicted to impact earth every 10 years.

Mars Orbiter Camera has shown, for example, that at least

20 such impacts formed on Mars since 1999.

But of the 175 known craters on earth, only five are less
than 100 meters in diameter, and fewer than 10 are less than
10,000 years old.

"Small impact events recorded on the surface of the earth

are significantly underrepresented based on expected
magnitude-frequency relations," says Herd.

Herd and colleagues applied a new computer program to

filter out trees and foliage from an aerial survey of a small crater
discovered in 2007 near the town of Whitecourt, about 200
kilometers west of Edmonton, Canada.

The researchers used aerial light detection and ranging

(LiDAR) images of the region to strip away the trees and reveal a
bowl-shaped crater 36 meters in diameter.
 Meteorites found in the crater revealed that it is 1100 years
old - recognized as the youngest crater in Canada.

"This technology can be used to potentially reveal hundreds

of meteorite craters around the world that are hidden by trees
but unknowingly captured on aerial forest surveys," says Herd.

"As more craters are found and analyzed, existing theories

on how many meteorites have hit earth in the past and the
frequency of future impacts will change."

SOURCE:

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/11/26/2430092.htm?
site=science&topic=tech
Summary:

Meteorite craters are a rare discovers on earth,

numbering only 175 at last count, but a Canadian researcher
has unveiled a new computer tool for locating hundreds
more from even the most minuscule of clues.

This computer tool is a new program which filters out

trees and other plants from an aerial view of a small crater
which was discovered in 2007 near the town of Whitecourt,
about 200 kilometers west of Edmonton, Canada. They used
aerial light detection and ranging (LiDAR) images of the
region to strip away the trees and reveal a bowl-shaped
crater 36 meters in diameter.

The technology can be used to potentially reveal

hundreds of meteorite craters around the world that are
hidden by trees but unknowingly captured on aerial forest
surveys according to their research.

Reaction or Comment:

It’s a big help in exploring our space. It’s a big soar in

discovering existing theories about meteorite craters. It
gives us more knowledge about meteors. It let us know how
many times a meteor occurs on earth, when, and where on
earth.
It makes us aware of the things happening inside and
outside of the world we live. As a discovery in the 21st
century, it allows or helps us to easily discover what within
our surroundings and where we live.
Thanks to Professor Chris Herd of the University of
Alberta and colleagues for their great discovery. They did not
just help Canada but also the whole world.