Download Moon Origin and Characteristics Lesson Plan

Arny, 3 rd Edition, Chapter 3
How do you
think the
Moon was
created?
Moonset on a clear desert morning
Lesson 12: Chap 3, Sec 3.3 and 3.6 The
Moon's Motions and Influence on Tides
The Moon
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 Describe the theories of the Moon’s origins.
 Define and summarize the favored theory of
the Moon’s origin.
 Analyze how the evidence supports the
different theories of the Moon’s origin.
 What is the Moon’s size and composition?
 How does the Moon compare and contrast
with the Earth?
 What is the Moon’s atmosphere like?
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Debris
Basins
Vaporized
Simulation
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 Captured Planet
 Twin of Earth, forming side by side
 Rapid spinning Earth threw off chunk
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 Impact of Mars sized
planet
 Melted and vaporized
materials
 Left Earth’s core
mostly intact
 Explains both
similarities and
differences in
composition
 Could explain Earth’s
tilted axis
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 Collision
 Ejected debris
 Molten Moon starts to cool
 Small asteroids from collision cause craters
that blanket highlands regions
 Larger asteroids formed maria basins
which flooded with lava
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 What do you think the differences
would be on Earth if we had no
Moon?
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 Apollo Moon landings (1969-1972)
 6 landings, 12 men walked on the Moon
 What value was gained?
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 Moon has ¼ the Earth’s diameter and circumference
 Moon has 1/10 the Earth’s mass
3,500 km diameter
2,200 mi
6,800 mi circumference
11,000 km
12,800 km or 8,000 mi diameter
40,000 km or 25,000 mi
circumference
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 Moon’s interior is nearly
inactive.
 What explains this
inactivity?
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 Faster cooling
 Less natural radioactive material to supply heat
affects motions in interior and on surface
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 Anything similar?
 Core
 Mantle
 Crust
 Anything different?
 Symmetry
 Liquid regions
 Size
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 Is there a magnetic field? Why?
 Is there an atmosphere?
 How does its small size affect characteristics?
 Are there volcanoes or moonquakes?
14
 No magnetic field
 Small size, little iron in the
VERY cold in
the shade
core, lack of liquid core and
internal rotation
 No plate tectonics
 Lack of atmosphere called a
vacuum
 Extreme temperatures
 No volcanic activity to supply
gases, plus weak gravity
cannot hold gases
VERY hot
in the sun
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Highlands
 Constant or varying
appearance?
 What are its major regions?
 What other surface
features are in these
regions?
Maria
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 Major regions:
 Highlands – hilly, light-colored
Craters
regions, heavily cratered
 Maria – look like “seas”; dark,
congealed lava regions
 The Moon has other surface
features:
Rays
 Craters – made by impacts
 Rays – shattered rock thrown from
crater formation
 Rilles - canyons formed from
cooling or lava flows
 Regolith – fine, powdery soil
Rille
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 Desolate surface
 Unchanged for a long
time
 No wind, weather,
erosion or other forces to
change appearance
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 Define and summarize the favored theory
of the Moon’s origin.
 How big is the Moon?
 ¼ Earth’s diameter and circumference
?
 How does the Moon’s composition
compare and contrast with the
Earth’s?
 Nearly inactive
 Not as much iron in core
 Differentiated by Earth’s gravity
 How did the Moon’s size affect its
internal heat?
 Faster cooling
 Less internal heat
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 Why does the Moon have no magnetic field?
 Smaller size, less iron in the core, no liquid core or
internal rotation
 Why does the Moon have no atmosphere?
 No volcanoes, no gases
 Weaker gravity
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 What does the Moon’s
surface look like?
 Desolate
 Two major regions:
 Highlands
 Maria
 Other surface features:
 Craters
 Rays
 Rilles
 Regolith
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
How big is the Moon?

How is the Moon’s interior different from the
Earth’s interior?

Why doesn’t the Moon experience plate
tectonics?

What are the lunar surface’s two main regions?

What are craters, rays, and rilles?

What is regolith?
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 The Moon’s diameter is ____ the Earth’s diameter.
 The Moon’s surface layer consists of shattered rock
chunks and powder from ________ _______.
 Some molten material may be below the Moon’s
mantle, but its _____ is smaller and contains less iron
and nickel than Earth’s.
 The Moon doesn’t have a ________ ______ because its
core is small, has little iron, and probably doesn’t rotate
much.
 Because the Earth’s atmosphere is a ___________, the
Moon’s surface gets very hot during the day and very
cold at night.
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 The two main regions of the Moon’s surface are ______
and _______.
 The __________ on the Moon are bright rugged areas
pitted with craters.
 The _________ are large, smooth, dark areas on the
Moon’s surface.
 Circular features on the Moon’s surface with a raised rim
caused by meteor impacts are called ___________.
 __________ are long, light streaks of pulverized rock
radiating away from many craters on the Moon’s surface.
 Canyons caused by cracking during cooling and lava flows
are called ___________________.
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 Define and summarize the favored theory of the Moon’s




origin.
How does the Moon’s size and composition compare
and contrast with the Earth’s?
What effect does this difference have?
What is the Moon’s surface like?
What processes created the surface features?
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 Done—the Moon’s origin and characteristics
 Next—the Moon’s motions in space and
relationship to ocean tides
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QUESTIONS?
Arny, 3 rd Edition, Chapter 3