SmartWorks Chapter 2 Questions
Continental Crust
- Thick - Deep Moho - Sits higher in the asthenosphere
Up to what elevation can you live without needing supplemental oxygen?
5.5 km
At 100km/hr, how long would it take to travel through the (thickest) oceanic crust?
6 Mins
Located between Mars and Jupiter
Asteroid Belt
What percentage of the Earth's radius does the thickness of the lithosphere represent?
no more than 1%
Which layer is responsible for the magnetic field?
outer core
At 100 km/hr, how long would it take to travel through the continental crust?
42 Mins
Gaseous trail is a characteristic of what?
Comet
Closest vs Farthest from Sun: - Neptune - Mercury - Asteroid Belt - Jupiter - Oort Cloud - Earth
**Closest - Mercury - Earth - Asteroid Belt - Jupiter - Neptune - Oort Cloud **Farthest
Earth's Layers Highest to Lowest Density
**Highest - Inner core - Outer core - Mantle - Crust **Lowest
People once thought that Earth's interior contained open spaces. What observations showed that such spaces don't exist, that the interior is mostly solid, and that very dense material is concentrated in the core?
- Density studies - Tidal behavior - Earth's shape
Both Oceanic and Continental Crust
- Igneous Rocks - Sedimentary Rocks on top
Comets
- Made of ice and rock - Can orbit along a plane other than the ecliptic plane - Formed in the Kuiper Belt
Both Asteroids and Comets
- Part of Solar System - Orbit the Sun - Irregular shapes - Collided with Earth
Asteroids
- Reside between Mars and Jupiter - Made of rock and metal - Orbit only along the ecliptic plane
Oceanic Crust
- Shallow Moho - Thin - Higher density
The highest point on Earth is _____ km above sea level, and the lowest point on Earth is _____ km below sea level.
1. 8.85 2. 10.9
A rock that forms from molten material is called _________ whereas a rock that forms from a preexisting rock and undergoes changes in heat and pressure is called ________.
1. Igneous 2. Metamorphic
At 100km/hr, how long would it take to travel through the mantle?
28.9 hours
At 100 km/h (62 mph), how long would it take to drive a distance equal to the thickness of the breathable atmosphere?
3.3 Mins
What percentage of the lithosphere is continental, and what percentage is oceanic?
30% continental, 70% oceanic
What best describes a meteorite?
A piece of material that landed on Earth from space composed of rock, iron, or a combination of the two
What visible evidence illustrates the interaction between Earth's magnetic field and solar wind?
Aurora Borealis
What does the solar wind consist of?
Dangerous radiation
How do scientists study meteorites to better understand Earth? What assumptions are made?
Iron meteorites probably have the same composition as Earth's core.
Where Pluto and Eris are located
Kuiper Belt
Lithosphere vs. Asthenosphere
Litho - Outermost layer + Relatively rigid Astheno - Higher density + Relatively soft (plastic)
The layer of icy objects and leftover material from the nebulae that surround the Sun
Oort Cloud
Mafic vs Felsic
Mafic - Low silica + gabbro + denser Felsic - Granite + high silica + less dense
Terrestrial Planets Characteristics
Mercury - Closest to Sun + Heavily cratered Venus - Closest in size to Earth + Has clouds obscuring the surface Earth - Has large moon + Atmosphere nearly transparent Mars - Farthest from Sun + Red Planet
How can glass be distinguished from a mineral?
Minerals have a crystal form; glass does not because its atoms are not arranged in an orderly manner.
The Earth's magnetic field is generated by which of the following layers?
Outer core
Which terrestrial planet has a similar atmosphere to Earth's?
None
How do sediments differ from melts?
Sediments are loose, unconsolidated grains; melts are liquids that were derived from solids.
How does Earth's inner core differ from its outer core?
The inner core is solid; the outer core is liquid.
How does the lithosphere differ from the asthenosphere?
The lithosphere is rigid; the asthenosphere is plastic.
How do Earth's magnetic poles differ from the geographic poles?
The magnetic poles represent the axis of Earth's magnetic field; the geographic poles are where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects the surface.
What happens when seismic waves travel into denser material?
They speed up
What is between objects in space?
Vacuum
A material that can exist as a gas on the Earth's surface is called
Volatile
In which of Earth's layers does convection occur?
asthenosphere
Describe the habitable zone.
the distance from the Sun where temperatures range between 0°C (freezing) to 100°C (boiling)
What are seismic waves?
waves of energy produced by earthquakes
