5 ms·

> It was a rather gentle collision at around 2.4km per > second; lower than the speed of sound Is that the speed of sound through solid rock, or should that

• ominous_prime 15y ago
  No, that's about right. Seismic waves propagate between 2-8 km/s depending on rock density. 2.4 m/s is an easy run for most people.
  • biot 15y ago
    I suppose that's the problem with speeds in space... 2.4 km/s would be anything but "a gentle collision" on Earth.
• ericd 15y ago
  That's kind of strange, "speed of sound" in a mainstream publication almost certainly means the speed of sound through air at sea level (~.3 km/sec)
  • Symmetry 15y ago
    But if the scientist or paper talked about the speed of sound while referring to sound in rock, would the science reporter have realized that this wasn't the speed of sound in air? In my experience of science reporting in mainstream publications: no.
    • ericd 15y ago
      That might very well be the source of the strangeness :-)