Astronomy Ch.8-10

Mercury's interior is unique because it ____.

has an unusually large fraction of iron core

What have tectonic forces done to venus surface

have broken the lava surface to create remarkable patterns of ridges and cracks, crust has also torn to form rift valleys.

What makes the planet's mountains, valleys, volcanoes, and even the continents and ocean basins themselves?

heat escaping from the interior

What does the thick atmosphere of Venus produce

high surface temperature and gives off a red light.

Describe Venus surface temperate

high surface temperature,

What are the there possibilities for the origin of earths atmosphere

(1) the atmosphere could have been formed with the rest of Earth as it accumulated from debris left over from the formation of the Sun; (2) it could have been released from the interior through volcanic activity, subsequent to the formation of Earth; or (3) it may have been derived from impacts by comets and asteroids from the outer parts of the solar system.

what are the 4 basic kinds of interaction between crust plates

(1) they can pull apart, (2) one plate can burrow under another, (3) they can slide alongside each other, or (4) they can jam together. Each of these activities is important in determining the geology of Earth.

ozone

(O3) a heavy molecule of oxygen that contains three atoms rather than the more normal two

mare

(plural: maria) Latin for "sea;" the name applied to the dark, relatively smooth features that cover 17% of the Moon's surface

Pressure of Mar's atmosphere

.0007 bar

What is the semi major axis of Mercurys orbit, aka average distance from the Sun?

.39 AU

what is the amount of the pressure exerted at sea level on earths surface from the atmosphere

1 bar- each square centimeter of earths surface has 1.03 kilograms pressing on it

What are the three general ideas for moons origin (there are problems with each)

1. The fission theory—the Moon was once part of Earth, but somehow separated from it early in their history. 2. The sister theory—the Moon formed together with (but independent of) Earth, as we believe many moons of the outer planets formed. 3. The capture theory—the Moon formed elsewhere in the solar system and was captured by Earth.(worst)

What were the three objectives of the Apollo mission

1. astronauts collected nearly 400 kilograms of samples for detailed laboratory analysis on Earth 2. each Apollo landing after the first one deployed an Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package (ALSEP)-worked for years after astronauts left 3. the orbiting Apollo command modules carried a wide range of instruments to photograph and analyze the lunar surface from above.

Why do we think there was once rivers flowing on mars

1. theres alot of small twisting channels (runoff channels) 2. outflow channels which are much larger with much water frozen in the soil as permafrost 3. gullies- smaller

how many tectonic plates is earth divided into?

12- they are either being pulled apart or pushed together

Mars rotates in ____________ hours and has _____________ like Earth; Venus has a ___________ rotation period of 243 days.

24, seasons, retrograde

rotational axis of mars

25 degrees- close to earth so it experiences seasons like earth

how far done is the core of the earth

2900 kilometers and is about 7000 kilometers in diameter

what is the pressure at the ocean floor

300 bars because 10 meters of water is equal to 1 bar

What is the surface age of venus

300 to 600 million years

The rate of cratering on the Moon is illustrated in your textbook. It is a correct conclusion form the figure that:

4 billion year old craters are more common than 3 billion year old craters

What is the total mass of earths atmosphere

5 x 10^ 18 kilograms

how much of earths crust do oceans cover

55%

What is mercury's period of rotation

59 days -2/3s of its revolution

describe the stratosphere

cold and free of clouds

Giant Impact Hypothesis

Earth was struck a long long time ago by an object 1/10 of earth size, like a bullet -largest impact earth could have experienced without shattering

Schiaparelli

Italian astronomer who said he could see channels on mars- English ppl thought he met "canals" implying artificial origin -started rumor of life on mars

When did the first american step on the moon

July 20, 1969

What is the smallest terrestrial planet?

Mercury

Many longer term climate variations, such as the ice ages, are related to changes in the planet's orbit and axial tilt.

Many longer term climate variations, such as the ice ages, are related to changes in the planet's orbit and axial tilt.

Which is the fastest moving planet and the closest to the sun

Mercury

How did Mercury lose so much of its silicate rocky material that scientists think it should have

Mercury is likely to have experienced several giant impacts very early in its youth, and one or more of these may have torn away a fraction of its mantle and crust, leaving a body dominated by its iron core.

how are we affecting CO2 levels

Modern industrial society depends on energy extracted from burning fossil fuels. As old coal and oil deposits are oxidized (burned using oxygen), large quantities of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere. we are also destroying sooo many tropical forests, which we depend on to extract CO2 from the atmosphere and replenish our supply of oxygen. In the past century of increased industrial and agricultural development, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere increased by about 30% and continues to rise at more than 0.5% per year.

How does the diameter of mars compare to that of Earth

its half

When did abundant free oxygen start to become available in the atmosphere

Studies of the chemistry of ancient rocks show that it was 2 billion years ago

What happened in June 1908

Tunguska explosion- in siberia there was an explosion in the atmosphere about 8 kilometers above the surface that flattened more than a thousand square kilometers of forest. it killed soooo many animals and spread around the world. no craters were formed

Apollo Program

U.S. program that sent nine piloted spacecraft to our satellite between 1968 and 1972, landing 12 astronauts on its surface - 6 landed, 3 others circled the moon

Compare basic properties of Venus and Mars

VENUs- bigger mass, bigger diameter, larger gravity, rotation period of 243 days, larger surface area MARS- smaller, rotation period of 24.6 hours

how are most mountains formed

When two continental masses are moving on a collision course, they push against each other under great pressure. Earth buckles and folds, dragging some rock deep below the surface and raising other folds to heights of many kilometers.

photosynthesis

a complex sequence of chemical reactions through which some living things can use sunlight to manufacture products that store energy (such as carbohydrates), releasing oxygen as one by-product

talk about the core of earth

a dense metallic outer liquid layer but the innermost core is solid with high amounts of nickel and sulfur

bar

a force of 100,000 Newtons acting on a surface area of 1 square meter; the average pressure of Earth's atmosphere at sea level is 1.013 bars

greenhouse gas

a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range; on Earth, these atmospheric gases primarily include carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor

What is the most popular and recent crater formed on earth

a lump of iron about 40 meters in diameter called Meteor Crater in Arizona- remains intact very rare

Cretaceous

a period of geological history. at the end of it a large object collided with earth 65 million years ago, it included a mass extinction- it hit a peninsular of mexico

volcano

a place where material from a planet's mantle erupts on its surface

Talk about volcanoes

associated with subduction zones and also where tectonic plates are colliding

Why do metamorphic rocks exist on earths surface

because geological activity carries surface rocks down to considerable depths and then brings them back up to the surface. Without such activity, these changed rocks would not exist at the surface.

Why are the moons highlands so heavily cratered

because they formed so early in human history

What is the most prominent visible surface feature on mars through a telescope

bright polar caps that change with seasons

Venus appearance

bright, goes thro phases like moon, cant see actual surface bc of dense clouds that reflect suns light

How do seismic waves tell us about a planet

by monitoring the waves through a planet, we learn about the layers its traveled through. whether the waves refract (bend) or if vibrations travel along the surface

why do we have such specific measurements of mars

by watching the motion of permanent surface markings over a long long time, 200 years

What is martian are composed of

carbon dioxide (95%), nitrogen and argon

What is the most abundant gas on Venus? second?

carbon dioxide -96% of atmosphere, and nitrogen

Name three things that plate tectonics take part in

carbon dioxide cycle, existence of earthquakes, creation of mountain ranges

core

central part of a planet that consists of higher density material

How is this increase in CO2 affecting the environment

complex changes in climate, and may be catastrophic for many species

geological activity on Mars

cratered highland terrain and volcanic plains

Moon Dust

dark basaltic fine grained soil of dust that covers the surface of the moon from impacts

what have living things done to the levels of carbon dioxide in earths atmosphere

decrease in atmospheric carbon dioxide

Describe ancient lakes on mars

dried out lake beds back when mars was warmer and atmosphere thicker- some covered by thin lava flow

What is the moon made of

entirely silicone rock- depleted of iron and other materials compared to earth

The high temperature of Venus is caused by

excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

theory of plate tectonics

explains how slow motions within the mantle of earth move large segments of the crust and causes the shifting of the continents on earth

What are maria again

flat plains of balsamic lava that came from volcanic eruptions billions of years ago

Tectonic

forces that push and stretch the crust- like in Venus

What did the presence of oxygen allow

formation of the ozone layer, which allowed for colonization of the land and evolvement of animals.

Tectonic

geological features that result from stresses and pressures in the crust of a planet; tectonic forces can lead to earthquakes and motion of the crust

How did we study geology of Venus

global study of its surface, its hard because of the cloud layers around the planet, so use a radar instrument to probe through layer -mapped Venus with imaging radar - RADAr MAPS

In the absence of any air, the lunar surface experiences much _____________ temperature extremes than the surface of Earth

greater- it also goes extremely extremely cold at night

Why is venus so hot when it is just as close to the sun as earth is?

greenhouse effect- the thick thick layer of Co2 taps infrared heat below the atmosphere and it heats it up sooo much.

All volcanically produced rock is ________________________

igneous

basalt

igneous rock produced by the cooling of lava and makes up the most of earths oceanic crust and is found on other planets that have experience volcanic activity

Fault

in geology, a crack or break in the crust of a planet along which slippage or movement can take place, accompanied by seismic activity

rift zone

in geology, a place where the crust is being torn apart by internal forces generally associated with the injection of new material from the mantle and with the slow separation of tectonic plates

what is leading to global warming

increasing amounts of atmospheric CO2

Describe surface of venus

inhospitable, pressure at 90 bars and temperature of 730 K

What heavy elements is earth primarily composed of

iron, silicon and oxygen (rather than hydrogen and helium)

why do we need carbon dioxide

it helps retain heat from the sun through the greenhouse effect

how does the ozone help life on earth

it is a good absorber of ultraviolet light, it protects the surface from some of the Sun's dangerous ultraviolet radiation

mantle

largest part of earths interior between the crust and the core

The maria are much _____ cratered than the highlands, and cover just ______ of the lunar surface, mostly on the side of the Moon that faces Earth

less, 17%

Mercurys Surface

like the moon, covered with thousands of craters and larger basins

Scarps

long curved cliffs on Mercury that came from the slight compression of mercurys crust- most likely from the planets shrinkage over time, NO evidence of plate tectonics

What is on 75% of Venus surface

lowland lava plains

The Earth has a two parts to its core which allow it to move within the Earth. This creates Earth's

magnetic field

How is earths interior measured

measuring the transmission of seismic waves through earth

Difference between Mercury and Moon

mercury has a heavily cratered surface and no atmosphere like the moon, but it differs in having a very large metal core

Where do the charged particles trapped in our magnetosphere come from?

outward from the hot surface of the sun (solar wind)

Describe Mercurys Composition

mercury has a high density, so it must have heavy materials- like metals -iron nickel core thats 60% of its total mass with the rest of the planet made of silicates- it has a weak magnetic field and a large metal core that is partly liquid in order to generate that magnetic field

All of the following are greenhouse gases except for:

molecular nitrogen

Moon's atmosphere

moon is too small, too light, not enough mass to retain an atmosphere. atmosphere is lost by freezing onto the surface or escaping to surrounding space

The _________ CO2 there is in our atmosphere, the __________ the temperature at which Earth's surface reaches a new balance.

more, higher

Olympus Mons

most dramatic volcano on mars- probs the largest in our solar system

Convection

movement caused within a gas or liquid by the tendency of hotter, and therefore less dense material, to rise and colder, denser material to sink under the influence of gravity, which consequently results in transfer of heat

Where did the features of Venus's surface come from

movements of venus crust, volcanic eruptions, and impact craters

Does mars have a magnetic field

no

Is there any primitive rock left on earth

no because the entire planet was heated in its history.

Geological Activity of Venus

no water, no ice, low wind so nothing changed by erosion, basically its earth without erosion, has lowland lava plains, mountainous terrain as a large as continents

Future moon plans

none for Russia or Us. China is planning to soon. spacecraft from NASA,ESA, japan,India, and china orbit the moon

Is the age of a planetary surface the same as the age of the world it is on?

nope- rarely are they the same age b/c a young surface area age only implies active geological activity

Does the thick atmosphere of venus protect it from impacts

not all projectiles only small ones does the atmosphere burn up

What are the seasons caps on mars composed of?

not ordinary snow but frozen CO2

What is earths crust largely made of?

oceanic basalt and continental granite -which are both igneous rock

crust

outer layer of a terrestrial planet

Why doesnt earth see as many craters as the moon

over history the earth has been affected as badly as the moon, yet overtime these craters have been destroyed by earths geological activity- plate tectonics have erased impact craters

Why are plate tectonics a cooling system for the planet

plate tectonics is a mechanism for Earth to transport heat efficiently from the interior, where it has accumulated, out to space.

What causes earthquakes

plates rubbing against each other and building stress in the crusts

Mars appearance

red color from iron oxide in its soil, no hint of mountains, valleys, impact craters but it does have bright polar ice caps

sedimentary rock

rock formed by the deposition and cementing of fine grains of material, such as pieces of igneous rock or the shells of living things

Igneous Rock

rock produced by cooling from a molten state

Metamorphic Rock

rock produced by physical and chemical alteration (without melting) under high temperature and pressure

primitive rock

rock that has not experienced great heat or pressure and therefore remains representative of the original condensed materials from the solar nebula

How old is moon

rocks on moon, 3.3-4.4 billion years older, older than earth. but both earth and moon are between 4.5- 4.6 years old

What are examples of sedimentary rock

sanstones, shales, limestones

What are basalts made of

silicon, oxygen, iron, aluminum, and magnesium

Current day Earth and Venus are similar in

size

Describe water on mars

small amounts of water vapor and occasional clouds of water ice, but no liquid water, mainly because of the low temperatures

Water on moon

small evidence has been found of a small amount of water near the lunar poles, most likely from comet and asteroid impacts

Geology

study go earths crust and how is it shaped

Where are most rift zones

the ocean

describe the composition of the atmosphere at earths surface

the atmosphere consists of 78% nitrogen (N2), 21% oxygen (O2), and 1% argon (Ar), with traces of water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and other gases. Variable amounts of dust particles and water droplets are also found suspended in the air.

greenhouse effect

the blanketing (absorption) of infrared radiation near the surface of a planet—for example, by CO2 in its atmosphere

where do clouds form and airplanes fly

the bottom 10 kilometers of earths atmosphere called the troposphere

Chicxulub

the crater that ended the dinosaurs- 5 billion nuclear bombs and lifted 100 trillion tons of dust into the atmosphere

Plate tectonics plays a role in all of the following except:

the earths magnetic field

Mars has less water due to the Solar wind and the lack of magnetic field protection. It destruction has caused all below except for ___.

the higher volcanos on Mars

How did earths early atmosphere affect life

the lack of oxygen allowed for many complex chemical reactions to form amino acids, proteins, and other chemical building blocks of life that all could have combined to make organisms

stratosphere

the layer of Earth's atmosphere above the troposphere and below the ionosphere

highlands

the lighter, heavily cratered regions of the Moon, which are generally several kilometers higher than the maria (83% 0f surface) -have low ,rounded profiles because there is no wind or water on earth to erode them because there is no atmosphere or water on the moon

troposphere

the lowest level of Earth's atmosphere, where most weather takes place

plate tectonics

the motion of segments or plates of the outer layer of a planet over the underlying mantle

What does primitive rock tell us

the original material out of which the planetary system was made

runaway greenhouse effect

the process by which the greenhouse effect, rather than remaining stable or being lessened through intervention, continues to grow at an increasing rate

magnetosphere

the region around a planet in which its intrinsic magnetic field dominates the interplanetary field carried by the solar wind, hence, the region within charged particles can be trapped by the planetary magnetic field

subduction

the sideways and downward movement of the edge of a plate of Earth's crust into the mantle beneath another plate

mass extinction

the sudden disappearance in the fossil record of a large number of species of life, to be replaced by fossils of new species in subsequent layers; mass extinctions are indicators of catastrophic changes in the environment, such as might be produced by a large impact on Earth

Why was the development of blue-green algae important

they take in carbon dioxide from the environment and release oxygen as waste- they gave rise to plants

Is the martian atmosphere thin or thick

thin

list layers of the atmosphere from closest to surface to tallest

troposphere, stratosphere, ozone, mesosphere, ionosphere

granite

type of igneous silicate rock that makes up the most of earths continental crust

which planet is earths twin

venus

Temp on Mercury

very hot on its daylight side and super super cold during nights because it has no atmosphere

a seismic wave

vibration that travels through the interior of earth or any other objection, on earth they are usually caused by earthquakes

Martian Meteorites

volcanic basalts that could have been blasted from Mars by fragments and came to earth so we could study them- they have both water and carbon based compounds in them

What is going on with air at the troposphere

warm air, heated by the surface, rises and is replaced by descending currents of cooler air (convection)

Seismic Waves

waves that spread through the interior of earth from earthquakes or explosion sites

How did we measure the age of moon

we must estimate the ages of individual rocks using radioactive dating techniques

Does venus experience volcanism

yes- large flows of lava are always generating new surface

How can Venus rotation period be found

you cant see any of venus surface material, so we must bounce radar signals off the planet

The lunar maria are _____ than the lunar highlands and appear _____ than those highlands.

younger, darker