Solar system composition

Question 1

Why does stellar nucleosynthesis make elements only up to iron

Answer 1

Elements after that require more energy put in than you get out

Question 2

What kinds of achondrites are there

Answer 2

Iron rich and basaltic

Question 3

What are the big four terrestrial building elements

Answer 3

O, Fe, Mg, Si

Question 4

What is the total mass of the asteroid belt between mars and jupiter

Answer 4

4% of the moons mass

Question 5

Why Jovian planets are further away from the sun

Answer 5

since composed of volatile gases, they stay where it is cold so they can make ice from the those volatile gases

Question 6

Define escape velocity

Answer 6

The minimum energy needed for a atom to escape the gravitational pull of a planet

Question 7

What two factors discussed in class can influence the escape velocity of an atom

Answer 7

The heat of the planet, and the mass of the planet

Question 8

Define homogenous accretion

Answer 8

The metal core of earth formed by separation of metal from silicate rock

Question 9

Define impact hypothesis

Answer 9

Huge asteroid hits earth, debris flung up accumulate into the formation of the moon

Question 10

Define the Kuiper belt

Answer 10

belt of dusty ice that extends beyond neptune

Question 11

Why did the earth segregate into layers?

Answer 11

The molten planet separated into relative density and chemical affinity

Question 12

Define atmophile elements

Answer 12

Gas and liquid loving elements. Contain water, CO2, and nitrogen. found mostly in sea and atmosphere

Question 13

Define lithophile elements

Answer 13

Reside in silicate materials. Found primarily in crust and mantle. contain Si, Mg, O, Ca, and Al.

Question 14

Define the siderphile elements

Answer 14

Prefer to be in metallic state. Include iron, nickel, gold, silver, and platinum. Found primarily in the earths core.

Question 15

Define chalcophile elements

Answer 15

Sulfur- (Ore) loving. substantial overlap with siderphile elements.

Question 16

What element can reside in lithophiles, siderphiles, and chalcophiles?

Answer 16

Iron

Question 17

Define magmaphile elements

Answer 17

Elements with very large size and weight that do not combine to form silicates. Therefore, dissociate into magma when partial melting occurs. Found primarily, however, in the crust.

Question 18

Define heterogenous accretion

Answer 18

Theory that the iron-rich meteorites accreted first, forming core, and the silicate meteorites accreted after, forming mantle

Question 19

What is peculiar about the moon? (4)

Answer 19

1. Very low density
2. very large (larger than mercury)
3. almost perfect circular orbit
4. oxygen isotope signature is identical to earth

Question 20

What is the capture hypothesis

Answer 20

Earth and moon were two planets with similar orbits, earth captured moon to an orbit around it

Question 21

What is the fission hypothesis

Answer 21

states that a piece of moten earth blebbed off and formed moon

Question 22

What is the mini solar system hypothesis (co-accretion process)

Answer 22

The moon formed from left over debris that orbited around earth

Question 23

what was likely the compositionof the first crust?

Answer 23

basaltic

Question 24

over time, due to periods of partial melting of the basaltic crust, what would have been the composition of the knew continental crust?

Answer 24

granite

Question 25

What is the lunar maria

Answer 25

the black, relatively uncratered areas of the moons surface

Question 26

What are the lunar highlands

Answer 26

Areas of the moon that are cratered

Question 27

What does the amount of cratering on the moon tell about its age?

Answer 27

The more craters, the older it is

Question 28

What has not happened on the moon surface in 2.5 billion years

Answer 28

surface renewal processes

Question 29

How were the sea and atmosphere formed?

Answer 29

volcanic degassing, comet impacts, and core-mantle segregation

Question 30

The asteroid belt contains

Answer 30

asteroids

b) refractory elements
c) volatile elements
d) radioactive elements

Question 31

The Kuiper belt contains

Answer 31

a) comets
b) refractory elements
c) volatile elements
d) radioactive elements

Question 32

Terrestrial planets include

Answer 32

Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Earth

Question 33

Jovian planets are larger than terrestrial planets because

Answer 33

) there was more solid matter in the outer solar system

b) the temperature was lower in the outer solar system
c) they accreted both ices and refractory elements

Question 34

The Moon and Mercury lack significant atmospheres primarily because

Answer 34

they are too small

Question 35

The Earth’s core consists primarily of

Answer 35

siderophile elements

Question 36

One argument against heterogeneous accretion of the Earth (i.e., metals first, then
silicates) is that

Answer 36

achondrites are younger than chondrites

Question 37

Which of the following statements is false regarding the impact hypothesis of Moon
origin?

Answer 37

The hypothesis helps explain the scarcity of lithophile elements in the Moon

Question 38

How do we know that planetary bombardment stopped 4 billion years ago

Answer 38

The moon has places 4 billion years old that aren’t bombarded

Question 39

Why couldn’t all of earths water have come from comets

Answer 39

The chemistry of hydrogen isotopes in most comets is dissimilar to earth isotopes of hydrogen. More likely a chondritic source