Question 1

How many times in the last century have meteorites struck people or their houses in North America?

Accepted Answer

A)  none 
B)  only one 
C)  only a few (less than 5 or so) 
D)  about 15 
E)  about 50 (one every couple of years) 
A)  none 
B)  only one 
C)  only a few (less than 5 or so) 
D)  about 15 
E)  about 50 (one every couple of years) C

Question 2

Near-Earth objects are catalogued by NASA as being larger than __________ in diameter.

Accepted Answer

A)  10 km 
B)  5 km 
C)  1 km 
D)  2 km 
E)  1 m 
A)  10 km 
B)  5 km 
C)  1 km 
D)  2 km 
E)  1 m C

Question 3

How fast do comets travel in space?

Accepted Answer

A)  about 2 to 3 km per minute 
B)  about 60 km per minute 
C)  about 2 to 3 km per second 
D)  about 60 km per second 
E)  about 500 km per second 
A)  about 2 to 3 km per minute 
B)  about 60 km per minute 
C)  about 2 to 3 km per second 
D)  about 60 km per second 
E)  about 500 km per second D

Question 4

Which of the following would NOT result from impact of a large asteroid on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  energy burns nitrogen with oxygen in Earth's atmosphere (nitric acid/acid rain) 
B)  tsunami if impact in ocean 
C)  iridium anomaly 
D)  impact melts rock and molten droplets spray outward (glass spherules) 
E)  high radioactivity in the crater 
A)  energy burns nitrogen with oxygen in Earth's atmosphere (nitric acid/acid rain) 
B)  tsunami if impact in ocean 
C)  iridium anomaly 
D)  impact melts rock and molten droplets spray outward (glass spherules) 
E)  high radioactivity in the crater

Question 5

Why would astronomers have difficulty spotting a large incoming asteroid headed for Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  Coming in directly, it remains in position in space, so astronomers cannot see its trajectory. 
B)  It comes in so fast that they don't have time to see it. 
C)  It is dark before becoming heated in Earth's atmosphere. 
D)  Most of them aren't looking for such an incoming body. 
E)  It would be too big to see. 
A)  Coming in directly, it remains in position in space, so astronomers cannot see its trajectory. 
B)  It comes in so fast that they don't have time to see it. 
C)  It is dark before becoming heated in Earth's atmosphere. 
D)  Most of them aren't looking for such an incoming body. 
E)  It would be too big to see.

Question 6

What is the largest diameter asteroid impact that leaves an open crater in the ground?

Accepted Answer

A)  about 1 km 
B)  about 10 km 
C)  about 100 km 
D)  about 500 km 
E)  about 150 km 
A)  about 1 km 
B)  about 10 km 
C)  about 100 km 
D)  about 500 km 
E)  about 150 km

Question 7

What are comets made of?

Accepted Answer

A)  ice and some rock 
B)  ice 
C)  high magnesium and iron rocks 
D)  nickel-iron 
E)  close-packed hydrogen 
A)  ice and some rock 
B)  ice 
C)  high magnesium and iron rocks 
D)  nickel-iron 
E)  close-packed hydrogen

Question 8

What is the path of comets around the sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  They range far beyond our solar system and loop past the sun and back into outer space. 
B)  Their path is the same as Earth. 
C)  They have a circular orbit around the sun. 
D)  They orbit the Earth, not the sun. 
E)  They don't orbit the sun; they are pulled to the sun by its gravity and will crash into it. 
A)  They range far beyond our solar system and loop past the sun and back into outer space. 
B)  Their path is the same as Earth. 
C)  They have a circular orbit around the sun. 
D)  They orbit the Earth, not the sun. 
E)  They don't orbit the sun; they are pulled to the sun by its gravity and will crash into it.

Question 9

Which of the following would NOT follow impact of a large asteroid on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  widespread fires from heat of impact and spray of molten droplets of magma 
B)  dust and smoke from fires blot out the sun so animals freeze and starve 
C)  acid rain kills vegetation 
D)  global wars over food 
E)  vaporization of much of Earth's oceans 
A)  widespread fires from heat of impact and spray of molten droplets of magma 
B)  dust and smoke from fires blot out the sun so animals freeze and starve 
C)  acid rain kills vegetation 
D)  global wars over food 
E)  vaporization of much of Earth's oceans

Question 10

What is the most reliable evidence remaining at the site of impact after a large impact?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the most reliable evidence remaining...

Question 11

Describe the difference between meteors and meteorites.

Accepted Answer

When small pieces of rock from space ent

Question 12

How fast do asteroids travel in space?

Accepted Answer

A)  about 2 to 4 km per minute 
B)  about 15 to 40 km per minute 
C)  about 2 to 4 km per second 
D)  about 15 to 25 km per second 
E)  about 150 to 400 km per second 
A)  about 2 to 4 km per minute 
B)  about 15 to 40 km per minute 
C)  about 2 to 4 km per second 
D)  about 15 to 25 km per second 
E)  about 150 to 400 km per second

Question 13

What is the relationship between the size of meteorites and the number of a given size?

Accepted Answer

A)  There are an equal number of small, medium, and large meteorites of any given type. 
B)  There are few small, a moderate number of larger, and many giant meteorites of any given type. 
C)  There are many small, many medium-sized, but no giant meteorites. 
D)  There are many small, a moderate number of larger, and few giant meteorites of any given type. 
E)  There are medium and large meteorites but no small meteorites of equivalent type. 
A)  There are an equal number of small, medium, and large meteorites of any given type. 
B)  There are few small, a moderate number of larger, and many giant meteorites of any given type. 
C)  There are many small, many medium-sized, but no giant meteorites. 
D)  There are many small, a moderate number of larger, and few giant meteorites of any given type. 
E)  There are medium and large meteorites but no small meteorites of equivalent type.

Question 14

An achondrite stony meteorite consists of:

Accepted Answer

A)  mostly olivine. 
B)  about 1/3 iron, 1/3 olivine, and 1/3 pyroxene. 
C)  peridotite like Earth's mantle. 
D)  basalt like Earth's oceanic crust. 
E)  glass that is high in iron and magnesium. 
A)  mostly olivine. 
B)  about 1/3 iron, 1/3 olivine, and 1/3 pyroxene. 
C)  peridotite like Earth's mantle. 
D)  basalt like Earth's oceanic crust. 
E)  glass that is high in iron and magnesium.

Question 15

What is the average size of the head of a comet?

Accepted Answer

A)  1-2 km across 
B)  less than 15 km across 
C)  50 km across 
D)  500 km across 
E)  2,500 km across 
A)  1-2 km across 
B)  less than 15 km across 
C)  50 km across 
D)  500 km across 
E)  2,500 km across

Question 16

What is an impact crater?

Accepted Answer

One might imagine that an asteroid strik

Question 17

What is Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary clay,and where did it form? Describe the conditions under which it forms and what it looks like.

Accepted Answer

Although the impact site itself is the b

Question 18

On average,how often does a 6-meter diameter asteroid collide with Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  once every five years 
B)  once every ten years 
C)  once every year 
D)  once every fifty years 
E)  once every century 
A)  once every five years 
B)  once every ten years 
C)  once every year 
D)  once every fifty years 
E)  once every century

Question 19

What are comets made of?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are comets made of?...

Question 20

The asteroid belt,orbiting the sun,contains asteroids in a belt between the orbits of:

Accepted Answer

A)  Venus and Earth. 
B)  Earth and Mars. 
C)  Jupiter and Saturn. 
D)  Mercury and Venus. 
E)  Mars and Jupiter. 
A)  Venus and Earth. 
B)  Earth and Mars. 
C)  Jupiter and Saturn. 
D)  Mercury and Venus. 
E)  Mars and Jupiter.

How many times in the last century have meteorites struck people or their houses in North America?

Near-Earth objects are catalogued by NASA as being larger than __________ in diameter.

How fast do comets travel in space?

Which of the following would NOT result from impact of a large asteroid on Earth?

Why would astronomers have difficulty spotting a large incoming asteroid headed for Earth?

What is the largest diameter asteroid impact that leaves an open crater in the ground?

What are comets made of?

What is the path of comets around the sun?

Which of the following would NOT follow impact of a large asteroid on Earth?

What is the most reliable evidence remaining at the site of impact after a large impact?

Describe the difference between meteors and meteorites.

How fast do asteroids travel in space?

What is the relationship between the size of meteorites and the number of a given size?

An achondrite stony meteorite consists of:

What is the average size of the head of a comet?

What is an impact crater?

What is Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary clay,and where did it form? Describe the conditions under which it forms and what it looks like.

On average,how often does a 6-meter diameter asteroid collide with Earth?

What are comets made of?

The asteroid belt,orbiting the sun,contains asteroids in a belt between the orbits of:

Natural Hazards and Disasters

Plate Tectonics and Physical Hazards

Earthquakes and Their Causes

Earthquake Prediction and Mitigation

Tsunami

Volcanoes: Tectonic Environments and Eruptions

Volcanoes: Hazards and Mitigation

Landslides and Other Downslope Movements

Sinkholes, Land Subsidence, and Swelling Soils

Weather, Thunderstorms, And Tornadoes

Climate Change

Streams And Flood Processes

Floods And Human Interactions

Waves,Beaches,And Coastal Erosion

Hurricanes and Nor’easters

Wildfires

The Future: Where Do We Go From Here?

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Exam 17: Impact of Asteroids and Comets

How many times in the last century have meteorites struck people or their houses in North America?

Near-Earth objects are catalogued by NASA as being larger than __________ in diameter.

How fast do comets travel in space?

Which of the following would NOT result from impact of a large asteroid on Earth?

Why would astronomers have difficulty spotting a large incoming asteroid headed for Earth?

What is the largest diameter asteroid impact that leaves an open crater in the ground?

What are comets made of?

What is the path of comets around the sun?

Which of the following would NOT follow impact of a large asteroid on Earth?

What is the most reliable evidence remaining at the site of impact after a large impact?

Describe the difference between meteors and meteorites.

How fast do asteroids travel in space?

What is the relationship between the size of meteorites and the number of a given size?

An achondrite stony meteorite consists of:

What is the average size of the head of a comet?

What is an impact crater?

What is Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary clay,and where did it form? Describe the conditions under which it forms and what it looks like.

On average,how often does a 6-meter diameter asteroid collide with Earth?

What are comets made of?

The asteroid belt,orbiting the sun,contains asteroids in a belt between the orbits of:

Natural Hazards and Disasters

Plate Tectonics and Physical Hazards

Earthquakes and Their Causes

Earthquake Prediction and Mitigation

Tsunami

Volcanoes: Tectonic Environments and Eruptions

Volcanoes: Hazards and Mitigation

Landslides and Other Downslope Movements

Sinkholes, Land Subsidence, and Swelling Soils

Weather, Thunderstorms, And Tornadoes

Climate Change

Streams And Flood Processes

Floods And Human Interactions

Waves,Beaches,And Coastal Erosion

Hurricanes and Nor’easters

Wildfires

The Future: Where Do We Go From Here?

Filters