Week 4

Question 1

Are the properties of earths atmosphere the same wherever you are?

Answer 1

No, the Properties of atmosphere depend on height you are at becasue different energies will be absorbed at different heights

Question 2

Electromagnetic field

Answer 2

Molten Metallic core is electrically conducting, and the earth spinning on its axis activated convective currents in the core cause a magnetic field.

Question 3

Ozone layer

Answer 3

created by UV breaking apart oxygen molecules

Question 4

Atmosphere effects

Answer 4

Create pressure (determines presence of liquid water on surface), absorb/scatter light, create weather, protects from solar wind, warm through greenhouse effect.

Question 5

Lithosphere

Answer 5

Ridgid part of interior, that is part of crust and mantle

Question 6

Dissociation

Answer 6

Distruction of a molecule (UV/xray)

Question 7

Impact cratering

Answer 7

Something smashes into the surface (asteroid/comet)

Question 8

Planetary temperature

Answer 8

depends on energy in/energy out

Question 9

Conduction

Answer 9

Energy can transfer through material

Question 10

Stratosphere

Answer 10

UV absrobed due to ozone layer

Question 11

Moon interior

Answer 11

Small core, large Lithosphere

Question 12

Why is the earths core hot?

Answer 12

After planet accretion and differentiation, it Lost potential energy = gain kinetic energy (heat)

Question 13

Mercury interior

Answer 13

Almost all metalic core

Question 14

Why are sunsets red

Answer 14

Red light scatters less

Question 15

Weather

Answer 15

Day by day variations

Question 16

Affect of distance from sun

Answer 16

Too close to sun:

• less erosion (as no wind, ice snow rain)
• to hot for atmosphere

Question 17

Why is the core denser than the crust?

Answer 17

differentiation, i.e. gravity pulls high density stuff to core, light material rises to surface

Question 18

Why are mercury and the moon geologically dead?

Answer 18

They had a large surface area to volume ratio, so they cooled more quickly

Question 19

Lunar maria

Answer 19

Highlands =higher, cratered regions

Maria = lower, smoother less cratered regions (formed latter on)

Question 20

Surface age based on crattering

Answer 20

Highly cratered surface = surface formed early

Minimal craters = surface formed latter on

Question 21

Mars interior

Answer 21

large Lithosphere

Question 22

Convection

Answer 22

Bulk motion

Question 23

Why is the sky blue?

Answer 23

Atmosphere scatters blue light from sun

Question 24

What is an atmosphere

Answer 24

a layer of gas that surrounds a plannet

Question 25

Climate

Answer 25

Long term average

Question 26

magnetosphere

Answer 26

Interaction between atmosphere and solar wind, which Prevents its charged particles crashing into earth

Question 27

Earth atmosphere

Answer 27

10km thick, consisting of mainly nitrogen and oxygen

Question 28

erosion

Answer 28

Surface changes by wind, water, ice

Question 29

Interior of terrestrial planet

Answer 29

Metal Core, mantle, crust (in order of decreasing density)

Question 30

Mercury cliff casues

Answer 30

Shrinking of core and mantle caused buckling and resulted in cliff formation

Question 31

Why did earth retain most of its outgassed water?

Answer 31

Cool enough (distance from sun) for liquid oceans to form

Question 32

P waves

Answer 32

Waves that push back and forth, Goes through core

Question 33

Why does earth have little carbon dixoide in atmosphere?

Answer 33

Has a lot of liquid water and carbon dioxide is very soluble in water

Question 34

Absorbtion

Answer 34

Photons energy is absorbed (IR)

Question 35

Scattering

Answer 35

Change in photon direction (optical)

Question 36

Factors affecting atmosphere

Answer 36

Solar brightening, axis tilt, reflectivity, geen house gases

Question 37

Albedo

Answer 37

Amount a planet reflects incoming sunlight

Question 38

Ionization

Answer 38

removal of electron (UV/xray)

Question 39

Radiation

Answer 39

Photons/light sent into space

Question 40

Volcanism

Answer 40

eruption of molten rock onto surface

Question 41

S waves

Answer 41

Waves move transverse to direction of motion (side to side), they don’t go through the core

Question 42

Techtonics

Answer 42

disruption of a planets surface by internal stressed, as a result of convection currents (mountains or valleys)

Question 43

The ‘lithosphere’ of a planet is

Answer 43

the rigid rocky material of the crust and upper part of the mantle

Question 44

What could a decreasing albedo cause?

Answer 44

Gradual warming of climate

Question 45

How does the cooling of planets vary with size?

Answer 45

• Larger size makes it harder for heat from the inside to escape,
• Larger size means bigger ratio of volume to surface ratio
• Larger size takes longer to cool

Question 46

Earth’s atmosphere contains just a small amount of carbon dioxide at the present time, because

Answer 46

Carbon dioxide dissolves in water, and now most of it is contained in oceans and carbonate rocks

Question 47

What is necessary for differentiation to occur in a planet?

Answer 47

• It must be a mixture of materials with different densities

- The materials inside the planet must be able to flow

Question 48

The cores of terrestrial planets are mostly metal because

Answer 48

Metals are denser and so sank to the centres of planets when they were still molten

Question 49

Heat escapes from a planet’s surface by thermal radiation. This means that planets radiate almost entirely in the wavelength range of

Answer 49

Infrared

Question 50

What are the conditions necessary for a terrestrial planet to have a strong magnetic field?

Answer 50

Both a molten metallic core and fairly fast rotation