Test 4- Terresterial Planeys Flashcards
Venus is peculiar because
it rotates backwards
The probes we have sent to Mars had done the following
All the above
Olympus Mons
is what killed dinosaurs
Venus is 2.3 light minutes away from Earth. Which of the following is true?
If we were talking to someone on Venus it would take 4.6 minutes to hear a response from our questions
The flow patterns on Mars suggest
that the climate on Mars was different from the past
The gas tail of a comet always
points away from the Sun
The _ is a disk shaped cloud of icy bodies believed to extend from about 40 AU out to 100 AU. It is believed that short period comets originate from this region
Kuiper Belt
Why is it believed that life can not evolve on a planet that orbits a spectral type A, B or O star?
These stars do not remain on the main sequence long enough for life to evolve
Which hypothesis concerning the formation of the moon makes predictions that best fit the observed lunar data?
The large impact hypothesis
Earth possesses few visible craters and the Moon possesses many. This is because
only b and c
Which is a false statement about the Moon
the moon landing never happened
The theory that Mercury shrank slightly when it was young has been proposed to explain
lobate scarps.
The lunar maria are
the lava plains of the lunar lowlands.
That the moon has no magnetic field implies that
the moon’s core contains little if any molten iron.
The youngest parts of Earth’s crust are
the midocean rifts
The oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere
all of these
Which of the following is not produced by plate tectonics?
Earth’s magnetic field
Why would a decrease in the density of the ozone layer create a public health concern?
none of the above
For the fictional planet Hades, use the following Jeans escape graph to determine which gasses would escape from this planet.
Hydrogen, Helium, Water, Methane and Ammonia
How does the dirty snowball theory explain the observed characteristics of comets?
A dirty snowball contains ices and dirt - A comet contains ices and rocks.
Explain how the impact of a large comet may have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
dust cloud forms blocking out sunlight
Why must the information in a species’ DNA be changeable
So that mutations can occur
Name the four stages of development for a terrestrial planet.
Differentiation
Cratering
Flooding
Slow surface erosion
Explain how we can determine the relative ages of lunar feature
Cratering Rates
Radioactive Dating
Why does Earth have two high tides a day?
tidal forces
What are the four layers of the earth?
Crust, Mantle, Liquid outer core, Solid inner core
The atmospheric pressure on the surface of Venus is about 92 times the surface pressure here on Earth
True
Venus rotates and revolves in the same directions as Earth.
False
All of the teressteral planets have a solid surface
True
The surface of Mars is so hot that it can melt lead.
False
We believe that there was once liquid water on Mars
True
Radar maps of Venus show impact craters.
True
All of the terrestrial planets except Earth have been through the four stages of planetary development.
False
Venus does not appear to have a retrograde motion when observed from Earth.
False
Venus’ volcanos are the result of plate tectonics.
False
Rovers on the surface of Venus have found evidence that water existed in the past.
False
The canals of Mars were eventually found to be crustal faults.
False
At the poles of Mars, we can see the sublimation and deposition of carbon dioxide.
True
The planet most hospitable for human life is Venus because it is about the same size, density, distance and has an atmosphere.
False
Venus is very hot because its atmosphere is rich in carbon dioxide.
True
The ‘blueberries’ on the surface of Mars strongly suggest that Mars previously had water on the surface
True
It is believed that frozen water (permafrost) exists on Mars’ poles.
True
The surface temperature of Venus is hot enough to melt lead
True
Flow channels on Venus suggest it was once rich in water.
False
The size of Olympus Mons suggests that the crust of Mars is very thick
True
Venus is commonly known as Earth’s sister planet due to its size, mass and distance from the sun.
True
The atmosphere of Mars is 95% carbon dioxide and resulted in Mars being the warmest planet in our solar system due to the Runaway Greenhouse Effect
False
The moons of the terrestrial planets all have gone through the differentation phase of development.
False
Valles Marineris is a long valley on Mars believed to resemble the rift valleys of eastern Africa
True
All of the terrestrial planets have a retrograde motion when observed from Earth.
True
Meteorites seem to be primarily composed of material very similar to the material in comets.
False
The meteors in meteor showers are believed to be the debris left behind in comet orbits.
True
Jupiter was probably influential in preventing the formation of a planet at the present location of the asteroid belt.
True
Jupiter was probably influential in preventing the formation of a planet at the present location of the asteroid belt.
True
The type II tail of a comet always points toward the sun.
False
The dirty snowball theory suggests that the head of a comet is composed of ices.
True
The Kuiper Belt is predicted to be the place where most of the short period comets formed.
True
The existence of the Oort cloud cannot be confirmed observationally from Earth because the objects are too small.
True
All life on Earth is based on carbon chemistry.
True
DNA molecules cannot be altered by chance errors in reproduction.
False
The oldest fossils on Earth are more than 3 billion years old.
True
If life is to develop on a planet, the planet must lie just inside the inner edge of its star’s life zone
False
The wavelengths that are most likely for communication with other civilizations are those in the water hole.
True
Even if societies survive at a technological level for only 10 years, that is long enough to communicate with them
False
Jean’s escape velocity chart is useful in understanding what chemicals can exist in a planets atmosphere based upon the planets escape velocity, temperature and distance from the sun.
True
The dynamo effect on Mercury produces Mercury’s magnetic field
True
Lobate scarps are ridges on Mercury and are similar to wrinkles on dried crandberries.
True
The Moon stopped evolving because it is too small to have kept its internal heat.
True
Mercury has a magnetic field.
True
The tidal forces on Mercury from the Sun produces Mercury’s pecular rotation
True
Neap tides occur at first and third quarter and are lower than Spring tides that occur at new and full Moon.
True
The Moon is believed to be a captured astroid.
False
Mercury’s smooth plains are probably the oldest parts of the crust
False
The tidal forces of our Sun has resulted in the unique rotation/revolution period of Mercury.
True
Earth’s magnetic field is generated in the iron rich mantle.
False
The oldest parts of Earth’s crust are located along the midocean rifts.
False
The Earth never passed through the cratering stage in planetary development.
False
The central part of Earth’s core is solid.
True
Earth’s magnetic field has reversed itself
True
The greenhouse effect occurs because carbon dioxide is opaque to infrared radiation.
True
