Mars Flashcards
What is Mars the god of?
Roman god of war
Mars is the ___ planet from the sun
4th
the diameter of Mars
.53
the albedo of Mars
.15
Mars is the ___ brightest object in the solar sustem
5th
Semimajor axis of Mars
1.5au
Sideral Period of Mars
1.9 Years
What direction does Mars rotate?
Counterclockwise
Mars is the closest planet to the Earth’s ______ period
rotational
What type of rotation does Mars have?
prograde
Mars is the closest planet to the Earth’s _______ _______
Axial tilt
Does Mars have seasons?
yes
The seasons on Mars are ______ times ______ (shorter or longer) than Earth’s
two, longer
What does Mars lack in its atmosphere that Earth has?
an ozone layer
Carbon Dioxide makes up how much of Mars’ atmosphere
95.3%
Nitrogen makes up how much of Mars’ atmosphere
2.7%
what are high altitude clouds composed of
Carbon Dioxide ice crystals
what are low altitude clouds composed of
Water ice crystals
What type of snow comes first, as winter approaches?
Water snow
What type of snow comes second, as winter approaches?
Carbon Dioxide snow
What process released greenhouse gasses on Mars?
outgassing
what greenhouse gasses did outgassing release on Mars
CO2, H20, & SO2
What happened to the greenhouses gasses as time went on?
they dissolved into oceans or became carbonate rock
What do volcanoes do to carbonate rock?
they recycle and release their trapped C02
what happened as the interior of Mars cooled?
its plate tectonics ceased and there was no more release of C02
What caused the runaway icehouse effect on Mars?
the loss of Water Vapor and C02 caused temps to keep falling
What is special abut the dust on Mars?
it is fine-grained iron-oxide
What makes the sky of Mars appear reddish?
Iron Oxide in the dust
What is special about the dust storms on Mars?
they are the largest in the solar system
When are dust storms more common?
During perihelion, when Mars is closest to the sun
What do dust storms do the temps on Mars?
raise them
What is a dust devil?
a dust ‘tornado’ that generates its own magnetic field
What is special about the dust devils on Mars
they are the largest in the solar system
What is the regolith on mars mainly composed of?
iron oxide
What prohibits life from forming on mars? (at least in the superficial layer)
the regolith may have peroxide and superoxide
What does peroxide and superoxide do to the surface of Mars when it gets wet?
it sterilizes the upper layer
What is special about some of the impact craters on Mars?
they are filled with dust, so the bottoms appear flat
the largest impact crater on Mars and in the solar system is the
Utopia Pantina
Where is the utopia platina located?
Northern Hemisphere
Where is ALH84001 located?
the northern hills, Antartica
What is ALH84001
a meteorite on Earth
What is the origin of ALH4001
Martain origin, 4.5 BYA
What does ALH84001 Contain?
Carbonates, meaning it formed when mars had oceans
Describe the northern highlands. (Location, # of Impact craters, Old or young surface, possibly covered by what)
Northern hemisphere, few impact craters, young surface, may have been covered by an ocean
Describe the Southern Highlands (Location, # of Impact craters, Old or young surface, relative elevation)
Southern Hemisphere, many impact craters, old surface, relatively low elevation
What is at the summit of a shield volcano?
a large caldera
what do shield volcanoes form from?
mafic (basaltic) lava flow
How are shield volcanoes created?
stationary mantle plume that rises from the mantle-core boundary in a process called hot-spot-volcanism
The largest volcano in the solar system is
Olympus Mons
A large dome shaped bulge
Tharsis Rise
how was Tharsis Rise created?
Through Hot-Spot-Volcanism
What did Tharsis Rise Create?
three shield volcanoes
A huge rift valley that may be a transform fault boundary
Valles Marineris
Where is Valls Marinaris located?
Near the equator
During the winter, they grow and during the summer, they shrink
polar ice caps
escribe the composition of polar ice caps
a series of terraces, C02 & water ice
C02 ice is on _____ and Water ice is on _____ in solar ice caps
Top, bottom
is there water vapor on Mars?
only trace amounts, no
is there liquid water on Mars?
no
why is there no liquid water on Mars?
the pressure is too low, the water would evaporate instantly
is there water ice on Mars?
yes
where is there water ice on Mars?
at the poles, below the permafrost
What is the evidence of past water flow on Mars?
riverbeds, deltas, teardrop shaped islands & gullies
How many moons does Mars have?
2
Where do Mars’ moons orbit
Near the equator
what type of rotation do Mars’ moon have
synchronous
identical revolution and rotation periods
Synchronous rotation
What spin orbit coupling does Mars have?
1:1
Phobos
Meaning panic or fear
the largest and most innermost moon
Phobos
which way is Phobos spiraling?
inward
Deimos
Meaning terror or dread
the smallest and outermost moon
Deimos
which way is Deimos spiraling>
outward
a very thick layer of rigid rock that may be composed of two plates
crust
a very thick layer of rigid rock
mantle
what is the core of Mars made of?
solid iron and molten sulfur mixture
does Mars have plate tectonics?
no, it is geologically dead
what kind of magnetic field does Mars have?
weak global
Does Mars have a magnetosphere?
no
Why does mars not have a magnetic field?
sulfur is not electrically conductive
