3.1 Planetary Geology

Question 1

What planets are in the solar system?

Answer 1

• mercury
• venus
• earth
• mars
• jupiter
• saturn
• uranus
• neptune

Question 2

What are larger distances in space measured in?

Answer 2

Light years

Question 3

What are light years?

Answer 3

The distance light travels in one year

Question 4

What is the name of our galaxy?

Answer 4

Milky way

Question 5

What type of galaxy is the milky way?

Answer 5

Spiral type

Question 6

How wide is our galaxy in light years?

Answer 6

100,000

Question 7

What is the name of our nearest star (apart from the sun)?

Answer 7

Alpha Centauri A

Question 8

How far, in light years, is the most distant known source of light in the universe?

Answer 8

13 billion light years away

Question 9

By how much did the chief librarian at Alexandra overestimate the circumference of the earth?

Answer 9

789.5 km

Question 10

How has the length of a year on earth changed over geological time?

Answer 10

It has decreased - used to be over 400 days but now it is 365

Question 11

What gives information about the interior of the earth?

Answer 11

Seismic waves

Question 12

How do earthquake waves tell us about the Earth’s interior?

Answer 12

Liquid outer core deflects waves, although solid in the middle

Question 13

What is a meteorite?

Answer 13

A solid piece of debris from an object that originates from outer space and survives its passage through the earth’s atmosphere and impact with the earth’s surface

Question 14

What are the 3 main types of meteorite?

Answer 14

• stony
• iron
• stony iron

Question 15

What are meteorite fall statistics used by planetary scientists for?

Answer 15

To approximate the true flux of meteorites on the Earth

Question 16

What are meteorite falls?

Answer 16

Meteorites that are collected soon after being witnessed to fall

Question 17

What is the difference between meteorite falls and finds?

Answer 17

• falls - collected soon after being witnessed to fall

* finds - discovered at a later time

Question 18

What percentage of falls do stony meteorites account for?

Answer 18

94.4%

Question 19

What percentage of falls do iron meteorites account for?

Answer 19

4.6%

Question 20

What percentage of falls do stony iron meteorites account for?

Answer 20

1%

Question 21

Composition of stony meteorites?

Answer 21

Silicate rocks

Question 22

Composition of iron meteorites?

Answer 22

Fe and Ni

Question 23

Composition of stony iron meteorites?

Answer 23

Fe, Ni and Silicates

Question 24

Why was Iceland used to train Apollo Astronauts?

Answer 24

Moon has similar basaltic rocks that you find in Iceland

Question 25

What are the darker surfaces visible on the moon?

Answer 25

Large flows of basaltic lava - mare

Question 26

What are mare?

Answer 26

Large flows of basaltic lava (as they have lava flow patterns attributed to lava tubes)

Question 27

Why is there no weathering/erosion on the moon?

Answer 27

No atmosphere or liquid water

Question 28

What are the lighter surfaces that are visible on the moon?

Answer 28

Lunar highlands (terrae)

Question 29

What are terrae?

Answer 29

Lunar highlands

Question 30

Why are meteorite craters on the moon preserved for millions of years?

Answer 30

The moon’s rocks don’t get recycled

Question 31

Why are there no volcanoes or plate tectonics on the moon?

Answer 31

The moon’s crust is not active like the earth’s

Question 32

How are maps of other planets made?

Answer 32

Use photographs taken by spacecraft and use lander information from the planet’s surface

Question 33

Where does most of our knowledge of the current geology of mars come from?

Answer 33

Studying landforms and terrain seen in images taken by orbiting spacecraft and from robots exploring surface

Question 34

What geological features can be found on both Earth and Mars?

Answer 34

• volcanoes
• rift valleys
• dunes
• cross-lamination
• conglomerate
• unconformities