Exam 1 Flashcards
How was the moon created
Splashed off earth as giant impact
maria
large balsaltic plains on moon
minerals
solid chemical compounds
rocks
mix of minerals
mafic rocks
more magnesium and iron, denser, more viscous, brighter
sialic rocks
lighter, more viscous, brighter
differentiation
denser rocs sink to core, lighter rocks rise to surface
igneous rocks
from molten rock
metamorphic rocks
reworked from heat and pressure
sedimentary rocks
transported by water, rain, wind
breccias
fused broken rocks
Parts of the earth
crust, mantle core
heat sources of earth
accretion, differentiation, radioactivity, tides
isostatic compensation
planet floats on mantle at an elevation which depends on its thickness and density. (mountains are less dense an have roots)
tectonics
movements in the planet’s crust
what does extension in tectonics create?
normal faults
what does compression in tectonics create?
reverse or thrust faults
what does shearing in tectonics create?
strike slip
evidence for plate tectonics
magnetic stripes, continents fit, ring of fire, marginal mountains, ocean trenches, mid-ocean ridges, seafloor spreading
volcansim
erruption of molten rock
how do impact craters form
instantaneous release of impactors kinetic energy due to the speed of the impact
Stages of craters
- detonation
- excavation/ejection
- rebound
- collapse
- relaxation
keplers 3 laws
- all planets move in elliptical orbits around the sun
- orbit sweeps out area at a constant rate
- harmonic law p^2 = a^3
trojans
stable triangular lagrange points
what does temp of a planet represent?
average motion of the molecules
3 ways to transport energy
conduction, convection, radiation
inertia of a sphere
2/5MR^2
mean angular frequency
n=2pi/P
resonances
where the mean motion of one object is the ratio of small integers to another, allowing small forces to build over time
libration
wiggle around an equilibrium point
Why is pluto not a planet
- orbit is eccentric an inclined
- small size (2/3 or the moon)
- composition of rock and ice
KBO
Kuiper Belt Object (pluto is the second biggest)
inner planets
earth/terestrial - solid - (Detritus = rocky -> astroids)
outer planets
jupiter, jorian - gas - icy (Detritus = comets kuiper belt objects)
Def of planet
orbits the sun, spherical, has cleared the neighborhood around it, orbit
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