Mars
What happens to the top layer of Mars's polar ice caps in the martian summer?
It sublimates into carbon dioxide gas and creates huge wind storms throughout the planet as it rapidly enters the atmosphere.
Why is Mars called the red planet?
Its surface is covered in rust and basaltic rock, making it appear red from Earth.
In terms of overall terrain one half of Mars is significantly different from the rest, how are the halves split and how are they different?
They are split by top and bottom. The Northern hemisphere is mostly smooth plains while the Southern hemisphere is cratered highlands.
What is Valles Marineris and what is the leading theory for how it was formed?
A huge crack in the crust, larger than the grand canyon. It is thought to have been formed as a radial crack as a result of the creation of the Tharsis Bulge.
Using the model that assumes there were once plate tectonics on Mars, what is thought to have formed the Tharsis bulge?
A hot spot in the planet's mantle pushed out the crust in this area, similar to how we think the Hawaiian islands were formed.
The northern and southern hemispheres of Mars are very different. What is the current explanation for this discrepancy?
A huge collision left a depression on one side of the planet which filled with lava and cooled to form a smoother surface.
How many moons does Mars have?
2
Much like Earth, Mars has very concentrated wind storms that, on Mars, blow dust around and leave complex curving trails on the surfaces they pass over. These storms are called...
Dust devils.
How big is Mars compared to Earth?
It has a diameter about half that of Earth's.
At times, from the planet's surface Mars's moons can be seen to...
Transit the Sun, like we can see Venus do.
Ice found at the martian poles can sometimes be upset and cause huge avalanches, which have even been seen from space, and are most likely caused by the sublimation of carbon dioxide.
True
The martian atmosphere is so weak that, since beginning its orbit around the planet, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has managed to find impacts that were not there when it began its orbit.
True
Near Mars's poles there are frozen ice caps, made up primarily of _____, and covered by ______ in the winter.
Water ice, dry ice
