The atmosphere

Question 1

For millions of years, the earths surface was originally what?

Answer 1

Molten

Question 2

What happened to the atmosphere in Phase 1 of the evolution of the earth

Answer 2

Boiled away into space as it was so hot

Question 3

In phase 1 of the evolution of the earth, what eventually forms

Answer 3

Thin crust

Early oceans and atmospheres

Question 4

What was the early atmosphere of Phase 1 of the evolution of the earth made up of

Answer 4

Mostly co2
Virtually no o2
Water Vapour
Small amounts of Methane and Ammonia

Question 5

How did early oceans form

Answer 5

When the water vapour condensed

Question 6

What happened in Phase 2 of the evolution of the atmosphere

Answer 6

Green plants and Algae evolved

Question 7

What happened to a lot of the co2 in Phase 2 of the evolution of the earth

Answer 7

Dissolved into the earths oceans

Question 8

How did green plants and algae affect the gases in the atmosphere

Answer 8

Took in co2 and produced o2 by photosynthesis

Question 9

How does the earths carbon become “locked up” in sedimentary rocks

Answer 9

Plants and algae die and are buried under layers of sediment long with fossils of slowly-evolving marine organisms

Question 10

What is the carbon “locked up” in sedimentary rocks as

Answer 10

Insoluble carbonates

Fossil fuels

Question 11

Why does burning fossil fuels increase the level of co2in the atmosphere

Answer 11

Releasing the carbon locked up in sedimentary rocks

Question 12

What happened to organisms on earth when oxygen began to build up in the atmosphere

Answer 12

Some were killed off because they couldn’t deal with the change
Some flourished and evolved

Question 13

What was the atmosphere like in Phase 3 of the evolution of the earth

Answer 13

Virtually no co2

Question 14

What did the increase of oxygen create in phase 3 of the evolution of the earth

Answer 14

Ozone layer

Question 15

What did the ozone layer do

Answer 15

Blocked harmful rays from the sun

Allowed more complex organisms to evolve

Question 16

What is the Primadorial soup

Answer 16

Body of water that life came from (part of a theory)

Question 17

What does the Primadorial soup theory state

Answer 17

That billions of years ago the atmosphere was made up of Hydrogen Nitrogen Ammonia and Methane

Question 18

How are amino acids formed according to the Primadorial soup theory

Answer 18

A lightning strike caused the gases in the atmosphere to chemically react and create amino acids

Question 19

What happened to the amino acids that were created from the lightning strike in the Primadorial soup theory

Answer 19

Combined to become organic matter in the Primadorial soup and soon became simple living organisms

Question 20

What happened in the 1950’s with the Primadorial soup theory

Answer 20

Miller and Urey conducted an experiment to prove the theory

Question 21

What was Miller and Urey’s experiment

Answer 21

They sealed gas in the apparatus and heated them and applied an electrical current for a week

Question 22

What was the results of Miller and Urey’s experiment

Answer 22

Made amino acids but not enough as to what’s on earth

Question 23

What judgement can be made about Miller and Urey’s theory

Answer 23

Along the right lines but not completely right

Question 24

Explain the Fractional Distillation of air

Answer 24

1. Air filtered to remove dust
2. Air cooled to -200 degrees, liquefied
3. The water vapour condenses during this and is removed
4. CO2 freezes during this and is removed
5. Liquefied air is released into fractional distillation column where it is heated slowly
6. Remaining gases are separated in the column where Oxygen and Argon come out together and are removed in a separate column

Question 25

Burning what releases co2

Answer 25

Fossil Fuels

Question 26

What 2 things does an increase in CO2 cause

Answer 26

Cause global warming

Make oceans acidic as they already have a natural store of CO2

Question 27

Why is the creation of acidic oceans bad

Answer 27

Bad for coral and shellfish

In the future, the oceans won’t be able to take in any more CO2

Question 28

What does an increase in CO2 affect

Answer 28

Climates

Oceans