question

The lithosphere of a planet is:

answer

its solid surface

question

Based on the number of impact craters observed per square meter on their surface, place these terrestrial planets in order of youngest to oldest surface:

answer

Earth, Venus, Mercury

question

Compared to the dark-colored regions on the surface of the Moon, the light-colored regions are approximately:

answer

1 billion years older.

question

The age of the Solar System can be determined most accurately by:

answer

radioactive dating of rocks retrieved from the Moon

question

Which object would have the largest impact if it were to strike the Earth?

answer

An asteroid moving at 200m/s

question

Which of the following is a remnant from space that has hit the surface of the earth?

answer

Meteorite

question

Which of the following is NOT a factor that helps explain Earth's lack of craters compared to the Moon?

answer

Higher density interior

question

The smallest craters are found on:

answer

the Moon

question

Mars, Venus, and Earth are much less heavily cratered than Mercury and the Moon. This is explained by the fact that:

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Mars, Venus, and Earth were geologically active longer than Mercury and the moon

question

Studies of the amount of cratering at different locations on the Moon indicate that:

answer

the rate of cratering in the Solar System has changed dramatically over time.

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Based on the age of the light- and dark-colored regions of the Moon and the number of craters observed in these regions, we know that impacts in the inner Solar System:

answer

rapidly decreased approximately 3 billion years ago

question

What type of wave is depicted in the figure below?

answer

Transverse

question

Differentiation refers to materials that are separate based on their:

answer

density

question

What type of wave is depicted in the figure below? 2

answer

Longitudinal

question

Suppose an earthquake occurs on an imaginary planet. Scientists on the other side of the planet detect primary waves but not secondary waves after the quake occurs. This suggests that:

answer

part of the planet's interior is liquid.

question

The fact that Earth's interior is differentiated suggests that:

answer

it was liquid at some point in the past.

question

Roughly how often does a high tide occur?

answer

Once every 12 hours.

question

The current theory is that a planet will have a strong magnetic field if it has:

answer

fast rotation and a liquid core

question

Which of the following is NOT a requirement for a planetary magnetic field?

answer

Solid iron core

question

In the past, the Moon was closer to the Earth and the difference in the heights of the ocean at high and low tides were:

answer

larger

question

Neap tide occurs when the Moon is in the first or third quarter phase and results in:

answer

smaller than usual tides.

question

What is the best explanation for the heating of Earth's interior today?

answer

Decay of radioactive elements

question

Which of the following will NOT be a consequence of Earth's consumption of the bulk of its radioactive "Fuel" in the future?

answer

Earth will spin more slowly on its axis.

question

Earth's innermost core is solid, not liquid, because:

answer

all the liquid has moved up into the mantle via convection.

question

Mars has a diameter that is approx half of Earth's. If the interiors of these planets are heated by radioactive decays, how does the heating rate of Mars' interior compare to that of Earth's?

answer

Mars' heating rate is .12 times that of Earth's.

question

Based on the assumption that a liquid, conducting core and rapid rotation are both required for a magnetic field to operate, which terrestrial planets would you expect to have magnetic fields?

answer

Earth and Mars only.

question

Continental drift occurs at a typical rate of a few:

answer

cm/year.

question

What would you study in order to determine the timescale on which the Earth's magnetic field reverses direction?

answer

A spreading center on the sea floor

question

Plate tectonics is NOT responsible for the formation of:

answer

canyons.

question

The North American Plate and the Pacific Plate are sliding past one another at a rate of approximately 3 cm/year. San francisco, which is located on the edge of the North American Plate, is sliding southward toward Los Angeles, which is located on the Pacific Plate. If they are currently separated by a distance of 600 km, how many years will it take for the two cities to meet?

answer

20 million years

question

If the Himalaya mountain range is presently 8,000 m in height and is rising at a rate of .5 m per century because of the convergence of two continental plates, how long did it take to create this mountain range?

answer

1.6 million years

question

Which of the following are sites of volcanic activity on Earth?

answer

All of the above.

question

The largest volcanic mountains in the solar system are found on:

answer

Mars

question

Which terrestrial planet shows the least evidence of recent volcanic activity?

answer

Mercury

question

Which of the following does NOT contribute to the large size of Mars's volcanoes?

answer

Lack of atmosphere.

question

Erosion on the surface of the Moon is primarily caused by:

answer

solar radiation

question

We suspect that Mars once had liquid water on its surface because:

answer

All of the above

question

We have direct evidence for the current existence of water on the surface of which terrestrial object?

answer

Mars

question

Flows of material surrounding Martian craters suggest:

answer

the presence of water in surface rocks

question

The rovers named Spirit and Opportunity that recently explored Mars's surface discovered:

answer

minerals that must have formed in an environment rich in liquid water.

question

If a radioactive element has a half-life of 10,000 years, what fraction of it is left in a rock after 40,000 years?

answer

One-sixteenth

question

If you obtained a sample of rock from Venus and determined the abundances of 238U and 207Pb in it, and found that for every 1 uranium atom there were 3 lead atoms, then what would the age of this rock be?

answer

1.4 billion years

question

Compare two blackbody objects, one at 200k and one at 400k. how much larger is the flux from the 400k object, compared to the flux from the 200k object?

answer

Sixteen times as much

question

As a blackbody becomes hotter, it also becomes ______ and ________.

answer

more luminous; bluer

question

At what wavelength does your body radiate the most given that your temperature is approximately that of the Earth, which is 300K?

answer

10^-5 m

question

What is the surface temperature of a star that has a peak wavelength of 290 nm?

answer

10,000 K

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