Astronomy 263 Chp 8 Purdue

______, ________, and ________ build up structures on the terrestrial planets, while ______ tears them down a.impacts, erosion, volcanism; tectonism b. impacts, tectonism, volcanism; erosion c. tectonism, volcanism, erosion; impacts d. tectonism, impacts, erosion; volcanism

If crater A is inside crater B, we know that a. crater A was formed before crater B b. crater B was formed before crater A c. both craters were formed at about the same time d. crater B formed crater A e. crater A formed crater B

If radioactive element A decays into radioactive element B with a half-life of 20 seconds, then after 40 seconds, a. none of element A will remain b. none of element B will remain c. half of element A will remain d. one-quarter of element A will remain

Scientists can learn about the interiors of the terrestrial planets from a. seismic waves b. satellite observations of gravitational fields c. physical arguments about cooling d. satellite observations of magnetic fields e. all of the above

______ waves are compressional, while ______ waves oscillate perpendicular to their line of travel a. longitudinal; transverse b. transverse; longitudinal c. P waves; S waves d. S waves; P waves e. both a and c f. both b and d

Earth's interior is heated by a. angular momentum and gravity b. radioactive decay and gravity c. radioactive decay and tidal effects d. angular momentum and tidal effects e. gravity and tidal effects

Lava that flows on the moon and mercury created large, smooth plains. We don't see similar features on Earth because a. earth has less lava b. earth had fewer large impacts in the past c. earth has plate tectonics that recycle the surface d. earth is large compared to the size of these plains, so they are not as noticeable e. earth rotates much faster than either of these other worlds

rank the following worlds by the strength of wind erosion currently operating on their surfaces, from greatest to least: a. mercury b. venus c. earth d. moon e. mars

differentiation, in the context of planets, means a. comparing a planet to others to better understand its features b. that different parts of the planet have different compositions c. that different planets have different compositions d. calculating the slope of the trajectory

scientists know the history of Earth's magnetic field because a. the magnetic field hasn't changed since the formation of earth b. they see how it's changing today, and project backward in time c. the magnetic field becomes frozen into rocks, and plate tectonics spreads those rocks out d. they compare the magnetic fields on other planets to earth's e. there are written documents of magnetic field measurements since the beginning of Earth

T/F volcanism has been present on all the terrestrial planets

T/F impact cratering no longer affects the terrestrial planets

T/F the geological processes that shape a planet have ceased on Earth

T/F large worlds remain geologically active longer than small ones

T/F wind erosion is an important process on venus

on the four processes that shape the surface of a terrestrial world, the one with the greatest potential for catastrophic rearrangement is a. impact cratering b. volcanism c. tectonsim e. erosion

geologists can determine the relative age of features on a planet because a. the ones on top must be older b. the ones on top must be younger c. the larger ones must be older d. the larger ones must be younger e. all the features we can see are the same age

geologists can determine the actual age of features on a planet by a. radiometric dating of rocks retrieved from the planet b. comparing cratering rates on one planet to those on another c. assuming that all features on a planetary surface are the same age d. both a and b e. both b and c

impacts on the terrestrial planets and the moon a. are more common than they used to be b. have occured at approximately the same rate since the solar system formed c. are less common than they used to be d. periodically become more common and then are less common for a while e. never occur anymore

comparative planetology is a particularly useful approach to a study of planets because a. physical explanations should apply to more than one object b. very few data have been collected c. all the planets are alike d. we can't actually travel to other planets

Earth has fewer craters than Venus. Why? a. earth's atmosphere provides better protection than Venus's b. earth is a smaller target than Venus c. earth is closer to the asteroid belt d. earth's surface experiences more erosion

Imagine that you are rock collecting in Arizona and you find rock containing shock-modified quartz. You immediately know that the rock a. formed during an impact b. formed in a volcano c. has been heavily eroded d. was crushed by tectonic plates

Scientists propose an early period of heavy bombardment in the solar system because a. the moon is heavily cratered b. all the craters on the moon are old c. the smooth part of the moon is nearly as old as the heavily cratered part d. all the craters on the moon are young

scientists know that Earth was once completely molten because a. the surface is smooth b. the interior layers are denser c. the chemical composition indicates that d. volcanoes exist today

Earth's magnetic field cannot be due to permanent magnets because a. the core is too hot b. the field changes its strength c. the field changes its orientation d. all of the above