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Fall 2000 Lohrengel Geology 1013 - Earth System Science Chapter 2 Questions - Study Instructions: Read each question carefully before answering. Work at a steady pace, and you should have ample time to finish. _____________________________________________ 1. The Sun is a star about 5 million years old. 2. The universe is at least twice and possibly three times as old as the Sun. 3. The revolutions and rotations of the Sun, planets, and moons are inherited from the rotation of the cosmic gas cloud from which the solar nebula formed. 4. The four innermost planets are called terrestrial planets because they all have the same chemical composition and density as the Earth. 5. All of the planets farther from the Sun than Mars are much larger than the terrestrial planets, and consist primarily of thick, gaseous atmospheres. 6. The present distribution of the planets (inner, rock planets and outer, icy planets) reflects the temperature and compositional gradients within the solar nebula during the processes of condensation and planetary accretion. 7. The bulk composition of Jupiter and Saturn is essentially the same as that of the solar nebula from which they formed. 8. The Earth differs from the other terrestrial planets in that its asthenosphere is unusually thick and buried deep within the planet. 9. The metallic cores of the terrestrial planets are all approximately the same size. 10. The Earth is the only planet that has an asthenosphere. 11. Ancient astronomers believed that the entire Universe revolved around the Earth. This is referred to as the _____________ astronomical system. a. geocentric b. heliocentric c. egocentric d. Copernican 12. The law of gravitation states that a. what goes up must come down. b. once a body is moving it will stop or change direction only in response to another force. c. every body in the universe attracts every other body. d. all falling bodies, regardless of their mass, fall with uniform acceleration. 13. The chemical composition of the Earth's crust is a. about the same as that of the Sun. b. about the same as that of the mantle. c. typical of the overall composition of the Earth. d. None of these is true. 14. Stars a. generate heat and light through the process of nuclear fission in their cores. b. that are similar to our Sun formed in a huge cosmic cloud at the time of formation of the universe. c. consist predominantly of hydrogen and helium. d. All of these are true. 15. Our solar system formed approximately a. 15 billion years ago. b. 4.6 billion years ago. c. 3.9 billion years ago. d. 4.0 billion years ago. 16. H 2O a. only exists on the Earth. b. exists on Mercury, but only in the form of water vapor in the atmosphere because this planet is much hotter than the Earth. c. exists on Mars but only in the form of ice, because Mars is too cold for liquid water to be present. d. is the third most abundant component of the Earth's atmosphere (after nitrogen and oxygen). 17. The planets a. formed from the same cloud of gas and dust as the Sun. b. formed in different places in space and were drawn to the Sun by gravity. c. formed at the same time as the Sun. d. were ejected from the Sun as molten matter early in its history. 18. The terrestrial planets, including the Moon, all have a. crusts, mantles, and cores. b. strong magnetic fields. c. atmospheres. d. asthenospheres that are close to the surface of the planet. e. All of these are true. 19. The atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn a. are so thick that we have never been able to see or probe the surfaces of these planets. b. have changed substantially in composition since the formation of the planets early in solar system history. c. are composed primarily of heavy gases. d. hide metallic cores, much like those of the terrestrial planets, only bigger. 20. The crust of the Earth is a. roughly the same as the mantle in overall composition and density. b. very variable in composition. c. essentially the same as that of the other terrestrial planets, in terms of overall composition, density, and thickness. d. None of these is true. 21. Kepler recognized that the shape of the planetary orbits is a. circular. b. eccentric. c. irregular. d. elliptical. 22. The Earth's asthenosphere is a. a hot, plastic, "weak" layer of rock. b. just below the lithosphere. c. part of the mantle. d. All of these are true. 23. The only terrestrial planet that does not have an atmosphere is a. Mars b. Earth c. Venus d. Mercury 24. Mercury and the Moon lack atmospheres because they a. never released gases from their interiors through volcanic activity. b. are too small. c. are not dynamic planets like the Earth, Venus, and Mars. d. All of these are true. 25. The differences between continental crust and oceanic crust on the Earth a. are part of the evidence that plate tectonics is an active process on the Earth. b. are similar to crustal differences observed on the other terrestrial planets. c. are part of the evidence that the Earth's core is more active than that of the other terrestrial planets. d. range up to 8 km in thickness from one place to another. 26. To date, no spacecraft have landed on a. Venus. b. Mercury. c. Mars. d. the Moon. 27. One of the outer planets is much smaller and less dense than the others. It is a. Neptune. b. Uranus. c. Saturn. d. Pluto. 28. The terrestrial planet that has the largest core, relative to the size of the planet itself, is a. Mercury. b. Venus. c. Earth. d. Mars. 29. There are seasons on Earth because the a. Earth's orbit is circular rather than elliptical. b. Earth's spin axis is tilted with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun. c. Earth spins with retrograde motion relative to the other planets in the solar system. d. All of these are true. 30. Which one of the following is not attributed to Johannes Kepler? a. the law of ellipses b. the law of equal areas c. the law of gravitation d. the law of orbital harmony 31. There are ____________ principal planets in our solar system. 32. The planets revolve around the Sun in _____________-shaped orbits. 33. All of the planets, with the exception of ____________, rotate around their axes in the same counterclockwise direction as they are revolving around the Sun. 34. The formation of the solar system occurred about _____________ years ago. 35. The planetary bodies formed and grew in the solar nebula through a process known as ________________. 36. At the center of each of the terrestrial planets is a core made primarily of ________________. 37. The outer planets, with the exception of _______________, are shrouded by thick atmospheres rich in hydrogen and helium. 38. The terrestrial planets are all characterized by an internal structure consisting of three main layers: a(n) _________________, a(n) _________________, and a(n) _________________. 39. The discovery of the law of gravitation is attributed to ___________________. 40. The Earth's lithosphere is made up of the ______________ part of the crust and the ______________ part of the mantle. 41. Draw a diagram illustrating Kepler's law of equal areas. 42. What were the three laws of planetary motion discovered by Johannes Kepler, and what does each one state? 43. What are the four terrestrial planets? Why are they called "terrestrial"? 44. Why is it considered likely that a nearby supernova had something to do with the solar system's formation? 45. How does the rotation of Venus differ from that of the other planets? 46. How do scientists explain the rarity of CO 2 in the Earth's atmosphere? 47. Make a neat, well- labelled diagram showing the internal structure (as we know it) of the Moon. Compositional variations should be noted. 48. In what states of matter is hydrogen thought to exist in Jupiter and Saturn? Make a neat, well- labelled diagram showing the probable interior structure of Jupiter. 49. Make a neat, well- labelled diagram showing the interior structure of the Earth, including the layers of differing composition and rock strength. 50. Why do the giant planets possess much more volatile and icy material and mass than do the terrestrial planets? 51. The four key factors controlling the evolution of a planet are (1) melting, (2) volcanism, (3) distance from the Sun, and (4) the presence or absence of a biosphere. Discuss, using the terrestrial planets for comparative purposes. 52. Our Sun is currently in a phase of its stellar evolution in which it is producing helium from hydrogen present in its core. All other, heavier elements can form only in the cores of stars more massive than our Sun, or during the process of a supernova. If this is true, then how is it possible that elements heavier than helium exist in the Sun and in other parts of our solar system? 53. Why do you think it is important to begin a study of the Earth system with a comparison of the Earth with other planets in our solar system? 54. Briefly describe the processes of star formation and condensation of material in the solar nebula. 55. Why are there layers of differing rock strength and different physical state within the Earth? 56. Why is understanding a planet's interior helpful in understanding its surface features and processes? 57. How might we go about determining whether a planet is (or has ever been) geologically active in its interior? 58. Venus and Earth are about the same size and mass. Degassing volcanoes on each probably discharged abundantly both CO 2 and H 2O into their atmospheres. Why is CO 2 a major constituent of the atmosphere only on Venus? Why is H 2O not a major constituent of the atmosphere on either planet? _____________________________________________ Fall 2000 Lohrengel Geology 1013 - Earth System Science Answer Key: Chapter 2 Questions - Study 1. F 2. T 3. T 4. F 5. F 6. T 7. T 8. F 9. F 10. F 11. A 12. C 13. D 14. C 15. B 16. C 17. A 18. A 19. A 20. B 21. D 22. D 23. D 24. B 25. A 26. B 27. D 28. A 29. B 30. C 31. nine 32. elliptical 33. Venus 34. 4.6 billion 35. planetary accretion 36. (iron) OR (metal) OR (iron and nickel) 37. Pluto 38. core...mantle...crust 39. Sir Isaac Newton 40. lower...upper OR bottom...top 41. [See Fig. 2.6 in the text.] 42. (1) The law of ellipses: The orbit of each planet is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus; (2) The law of equal areas: A line drawn from a planet to the Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal times; (3) The law of orbital harmony: For any planet, the square of the orbital period in years is proportional to the cube of the planet's average distance from the Sun. 43. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars They are called "terrestrial" because they are similar to the Earth, in having relatively high overall densities, rocky compositions, and differentiated (layered) internal structures. 44. A supernova is the most likely source for the heavy elements present in the Sun and the rest of the solar system. [It is also possible that a supernova may have created the shock wave that initiated compression and collapse of the interstellar cloud of gas and dust, leading to the formation of the solar nebula. This is not covered in the text.] 45. The other planets rotate about their axes in the same sense in which they revolve around the Sun (which is also the same direction as the Sun's own rotation about its axis). Venus, in contrast, rotates in the opposite direction about its axis (retrograde rotation), as though it had been turned upside down. 46. On the Earth, plants and microorganisms have enabled carbon dioxide and water to combine, through photosynthesis, to make organic matter and oxygen. The burial of organic matter in sediment in effect removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. 47. [See Fig. 2.15 in the text.] 48. [See Fig. 2.17 in the text.] In the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn, hydrogen occurs as a gas, but deep inside the planets where pressures are very great, hydrogen may exist in the form of molecular and metallic liquids, and possibly even as solid metallic hydrogen. 49. [See Fig. 2.14 in the text.] 50. The giant (or jovian) planets formed in the outer parts of the solar nebula, where temperatures were very cold, and icy materials were condensing. The terrestrial planets formed in the inner part of the solar nebular, where temperatures were much higher, and more refractory, denser rocky and metallic materials were condensing. 51. * not available * 52. * not available * 53. * not available * 54. * not available * 55. * not available * 56. * not available * 57. * not available * 58. * not available *