Final answer:
NEO collisions form simple and complex impact craters. Earth's craters are less visible due to atmospheric burn-up of NEOs and surface changes from plate tectonics and volcanism, which erase signs of impacts over time.
Step-by-step explanation:
NEO collisions with rocky planets and moons typically form two primary types of impact craters: simple craters and complex craters. Simple craters are small, bowl-shaped indentations with raised rims and smooth interiors, usually formed by small impacts. In contrast, complex craters are larger and have more intricate features, such as central peaks, terraced walls, and flat floors, resulting from the collapse of the initial crater walls and a rebound of the crater floor due to larger impacts.The Earth's surface experiences fewer visible craters compared to the Moon or other heavenly bodies due to geological activity such as plate tectonics and volcanism, which constantly reshape the Earth's surface, erasing evidence of many past impacts. Moreover, the Earth's atmosphere acts as a protective shield that burns up many smaller NEOs before they can reach the surface. Throughout the Earth's history, it has indeed been hit by catastrophic NEOs, like the one thought to have contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs, but over time, natural Earth processes have significantly altered or erased many impact sites Conclusion Impact craters, a testament to the history of cosmic collisions, come in various forms. While they are more pronounced on other terrestrial planets and moons due to the lack of atmospheric and geological processes that could obscure them, Earth, too, has its share of them, although they may not always be easily discerned due to the Earth's dynamic surface and atmosphere.