Astronomy Quiz 8
Volcanism is more likely on a planet that
has high internal temperatures
The average temperature on planet Earth is higher than you would expect from the heating of the surface by sunlight alone. What is the explanation for this?
carbon dioxide (and other gases) in the atmosphere cause a greenhouse effect
The region around the Earth where charged particles are trapped and spiral around is called:
magnetosphere
What is the largest part of the layers of the Earth?
mantle
Which part of the Earth has the greatest density?
> core mantle continental crust oceanic crust
What type of stresses broke Earth's lithosphere into plates?
the circulation of convection cells in the mantle which caused the mantle and litosphere to be compressed
What allowed the differentiation of the Earth's layers to happen?
the early Earth must have been so hot it was like a liquid and heavier things sank to the middle
Which of the following describes erosion?
the wearing down of building up of geological features by wind and water and ice and other phenomena of planetary weather
The outer layer of the Earth is called the
Crust
The most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere is
Nitrogen
The three principal sources of internal heat on Earth (and other terrestrial planets) are
accretion; differentiation; radioactivity
According to the fossil record how old is the oldest evidence of life forms on the surface of the Earth?
about 3.5 billion years
One way in which the ozone layer is useful for life forms on the Earth's surface is that it
absorbs ultraviolet light preventing much of it from reaching the surface
We define the pressure in the atmosphere using bars. Where do we set the measurement of 1 bar?
at sea level
The type of rock we find predominant in the crust of the Earth's continents is called:
basalt
The core, mantle, and crust of a planet are defined by differences in their
composition
A planet is most likely to have tectonic activity if it has
high internal temperature
Any rock in the Earth's crust that has cooled from an originally molten state is called
igneous
Heat escapes from a planet's surface into space by thermal radiation. Planets radiate almost entirely in the wavelength range of the
infrared
What is the most important factor that determines the thickness and therefore the strength of the rigid rocky material that forms the crust and upper portion of the mantle on the Earth?
internal temperature
What is the highest region of the atmosphere?
ionosphere
What is the Earth's core primarily composed of?
iron and nickel
Which of the following points about our planet's atmosphere is FALSE?
it is slowly leaking atoms into space from its outermost regions > its mass is a substantial part of the mass of the Earth warm air rises and cool air descends within it it is made mostly of nitrogen
Which of the following has virtually no effect on the structure of a planet?
it's magnetic field
Which of the following statements about the Earth's magnetosphere is FALSE?
its shape and size are the same on the sides facing toward and away from the Sun
The Earth's core contains mostly metal because
metals sank to the center during a time when the interior was molten throughout.
Earthquake producing faults are much more likely to be found
on the boundaries of continental plates where they meet other plates
The geysers and hot springs of Yellowstone National Park result from
plumes of hot mantle rising in a hot spot within a plate
Scientists have been concerned about a set of industrial chemicals called CFCs because they
rise into the atmosphere and destroy ozone
Which of these is not a main ingredient that Earth is composed of
silicon oxygen iron > nitrogen
According to the theory of plate tectonics
slow motions within the mantle of the Earth move large sections of the crust around
How do astronomers and geologists study the interior of the Earth?
studying the way that seismic waves travel through the planet
Regions where the continents or the sea floor are pulling apart are called
subduction zone
The Moon is heavily cratered but the Earth is NOT. Why?
the active geology and weather on Earth destroy traces of impacts over millions of years
An increase in the Earth's temperature by several degrees Celsius would result in:
the melting of many glaciers; a rise in sea levels; and more flooding of towns near coastlines
For scientists one bar is
the pressure with which 1 square centimeter of the Earth's atmosphere presses down at the surface
The process of convection involves
the slow upward flow of warmer material and downward flow of cooler material
Which region of the atmosphere do we spend most of our lives?
troposphere
What kind of surface features may result from tectonics?
valleys volcanoes mountains cliffs >all of the above
A spot where magma rises to the surface can be seen as a
volcano
Mountains on Earth often have sharp peaks and edges to them while mountains on the Moon look smooth and kindo f dull in comparison. What gives the Earth's mountains their dramatic sharp shapes?
water and ice flow over the Earth's mountains and erode them