Chpt 8 Quiz

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 average temperature on planet Earth is higher than you would expect just from the heating of sunlight alone. What is the explanation for this?

carbon dioxide (and other gases) in the atmosphere cause a greenhouse effect

What is the largest part of the layers of the Earth?

mantle

Volcanism is more likely on a planet that

has high internal temperatures

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

How do astronomers and geologists study the interior of the Earth?

studying the way that seismic waves travel through the planet

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

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

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

The most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere is

nitrogen

Earthquake producing faults are much more likely to be found

on the boundaries of continental plates where they meet other plates

What is the Earth's core primarily composed of?

iron and nickel

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

Which of the following has virtually no effect on the structure of a planet? a. composition b. its magnetic field c. its mass d. its size

b. its magnetic field

Which of the following points about our planet's atmosphere is FALSE? a. it is slowly leaking atoms into space from its outermost regions b. its mass is a substantial part of the mass of the Earth c. warm air rises and cool air descends within it d. it is made mostly of nitrogen

b. its mass is a substantial part of the mass of the Earth

Which of the following statements about the Earth's magnetosphere is FALSE? a. it is generated by circulating liquid metal inside the Earth's core b. it extends into space over a region much bigger than the diameter of the Earth c. its shape and size are the same on the sides facing toward and away from the Sun d. it contains particles that come mainly from the solar wind

c. its shape and size are the same on the sides facing toward and away from the Sun

The core, mantle, and crust of a planet are defined by differences in their

composition

Which part of the Earth has the greatest density?

core

The outermost layer of the Earth is called the

crust

Which of these is not a main ingredient that Earth is composed of? a. oxygen b. silicon c. iron d. nitrogen

d. nitrogen

Which of the following describes erosion? a. the disruption of a planet's surface by internal stresses b. the eruption of molten rock from a planet's interior to its surface c. the excavation of bowl-shaped depressions by asteroids or comets striking a planet's surface d. the wearing down of building up of geological features by wind and water and ice and other phenomena of planetary weather

d. the wearing down of building up of geological features by wind and water and ice and other phenomena of planetary weather

The Earth's core contains mostly metal because

metals sank to the center during a time when the interior was molten throughout.

The geysers and hot springs of Yellowstone National Park result from

plumes of hot mantle rising in a hot spot within a plate

Regions where the continents or the sea floor are pulling apart are called

rift zones

Scientists have been concerned about a set of industrial chemicals called CFCs because they

rise into the atmosphere and destroy ozone

According to the theory of plate tectonics

slow motions within the mantle of the Earth move large sections of the crust around

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

The region around the Earth where charged particles are trapped and spiral around is called:

the magnetosphere

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

Which region of the atmosphere do we spend most of our lives?

troposphere

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