Ch. 8

Question 1

Rotation period of Mars

Answer 1

24 h 37 m

Question 2

Atmospheric composition of Mars

Answer 2

95% CO2

Question 3

Physical characteristics of Mars

Answer 3

Half the size of Earth, lower density world, temperatures well below freezing, little atmosphere, no oxygen, dry arid

Question 4

Mars atmosphere

Answer 4

Thin but moderates temperature extremes

Question 5

Mars orbit

Answer 5

more oblong than Earth’s a lot closer to the sun in summer than in winter

Question 6

Mars seasons

Answer 6

Summer is short and warm and it’s winter long and cold

Question 7

Ice caps

Answer 7

Winter ice caps much larger because carbon dioxide freezes out of the atmosphere, ice sublimes back into the atmosphere in summer

Question 8

Environment

Answer 8

Lots of dust storms arise changing the surface appearance

Question 9

Surface features

Answer 9

Smooth flat northern hemisphere and heavily cratered rugged southern hemisphere

Question 10

Olympus Mons

Answer 10

The largest volcano in the Solar System is 600 km across and 26 km high

Question 11

Mantle plumes

Answer 11

allow a continuous building of volcanic structures

Question 12

Valles Marineris

Answer 12

Huge canyon at the equator of Mars formed by tectonic activity

Question 13

Three eras of Mars

Answer 13

Noachian (oldest), hesperian (intermediate), amazonian (recent)

Question 14

Water on mars

Answer 14

Once plentiful, visible riverbed and gulley formations, sedimentary rock structures

Question 15

Mineralogical evidence

Answer 15

Hydrated materials found such as clay minerals, hydrated sulphates, hydrated silica and opal deposits

Question 16

Martian rock

Answer 16

Cumberland

Question 17

Evidence for contemporary flowing water

Answer 17

Dark, narrow streaks flowing downhill on Mars

Question 18

Mars climate past

Answer 18

Significant out-gassing from volcanoes and the accumulation of Carbon dioxide

Question 19

Climate change on Mars

Answer 19

As the planet cooled the magnetic field weakened and then disappeared, no ozone layer allows ultraviolet photodisintegration of water molecules

Question 20

Mars tilt varies meaning?

Answer 20

That substantial seasonal changes occur more often, it tilt varies cause it does not have a moon

Question 21

Three lines of evidence for life on Mars

Answer 21

Viking mission, methane, meteoritic evidence

Question 22

Methane on Mars

Answer 22

Methane cannot survive for long periods in an atmosphere so there must be an ongoing supply