Mercury has a very thin atmosphere. Consequently, meteorites-unlike the chunks of rocks falling upon the Earth-are not slowed down by atmospheric pressure when they fall on the planet. The sun attracts many other heavenly bodies because of its huge mass, and since Mercury is very near to the sun, many of these meteorites fall on its surface without any resistance and create craters. The largest crater is the round Mare Caloris, which is 9 km deep and 1400 km wide. The impact of the meteorite was so strong that is shook the opposite side of the planet and created many scattered trenches on its surface.
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