Chapter 1 Flashcards
What object makes up 99% of the solar system?
The sun.
How old is the universe?
Approx. 13.7 billion years old.
The Big Bang Theory
A cataclysmic explosion where the matter began suddenly expanding.
Nebulae
Patchy clouds made of accumulated atoms and molecules
What are the layers of the earth?
Crust, mantle, and core
What does the mantle consist of?
The upper and lower mantle. This includes the lithosphere and asthenosphere.
What is the asthenosphere?
The semi-melted layer of the mantle that the lithopshere sits on top of. It is like jello-o.
What are the parts of the Core?
The inner and outer core. The outer core is liquid and the inner core is solid.
What is the lithosphere?
It is the crust and the upper part of the mantle. It sits on top of the asthenopshere.
What are the the two main hypotheses for how the ocean and atmosphere formed?
1) resulted from impact of volatile-rich matter striking the Earth from space after it was formed
2) Resulted from volatile tied up in planetesimals which formed the earth.
What are the earths 2 basic energy sources?
An external heat system and an internal heat system.
What is the earth’s External heat engine?
Solar energy from the sun. It affects everything, like weather.
What is the Earth’s internal heat engine?
Powered by heat trapped during planetesimal bombardment and heat generated by radioactive decay.
