Question 1

The solar wind is ___________________.

Accepted Answer

A) what causes visible dust storms on Mars 
B) wind blowing on the surface of the Sun 
C) wind blowing within the Sun's dense gas below the surface 
D) the stream of subatomic particles flying outward from the Sun 
E) a blast of sunspot energy 
A) what causes visible dust storms on Mars 
B) wind blowing on the surface of the Sun 
C) wind blowing within the Sun's dense gas below the surface 
D) the stream of subatomic particles flying outward from the Sun 
E) a blast of sunspot energy

Question 2

Evidence demonstrating that the crater in Arizona formed by meteorite impact includes all but which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) The crater is steep-sided and closed 
B) The rim of surrounding rock was created by uplifting the horizontal sedimentary-rock layers of the region and tilting them away from the crater 
C) Little hills of rock outside the crater rim are inverted piles of the rock sequence exposed in the crater walls 
D) Huge blocks of limestone are strewn around outside the crater 
E) A 550-ton spherical piece of nickel-iron metallic meteorite was found in the bottom of the crater 
A) The crater is steep-sided and closed 
B) The rim of surrounding rock was created by uplifting the horizontal sedimentary-rock layers of the region and tilting them away from the crater 
C) Little hills of rock outside the crater rim are inverted piles of the rock sequence exposed in the crater walls 
D) Huge blocks of limestone are strewn around outside the crater 
E) A 550-ton spherical piece of nickel-iron metallic meteorite was found in the bottom of the crater

Question 3

Statistically,your risk of being killed by a meteoroid impact is greater than that of dying by flood or tornado.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

The world's classic meteorite crater lies on an arid portion of the Colorado Plateau in __________________.

Accepted Answer

A) Wyoming 
B) Colorado 
C) Utah 
D) New Mexico 
E) Arizona 
A) Wyoming 
B) Colorado 
C) Utah 
D) New Mexico 
E) Arizona

Question 5

The solar system is surrounded by the Oort cloud composed of about a trillion comets,icy objects with orbits that take them far beyond the outermost planets of our solar system.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Halley's comet has an average orbital period of ________________.

Accepted Answer

A) 76 years 
B) 1 year 
C) 577 years 
D) about 10,000 years 
E) about 100,000 years,coinciding with average ice-age periods 
A) 76 years 
B) 1 year 
C) 577 years 
D) about 10,000 years 
E) about 100,000 years,coinciding with average ice-age periods

Question 7

The 1-cm-thick clay layer that marks the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T)boundary has a high percentage of the element ________ in the clay layer,an enrichment about 300 times greater than the normal abundance.

Accepted Answer

A) iridium 
B) silicon 
C) iron 
D) oxygen 
E) zircon 
A) iridium 
B) silicon 
C) iron 
D) oxygen 
E) zircon

Question 8

The nearer an icy comet approaches the Sun,the smaller its tail becomes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Space debris that collides with the Earth comes primarily from fragmented asteroids and secondarily from comets.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

The biggest known impact on Earth in the twentieth century was the Tunguska,Siberia,event in1908.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

As a comet curves around the Sun,its tail rotates also,always pointing away from the direction in which the comet is heading.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

The major types of meteorites are either "irons" (metallic)or "stones" (rocky).

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Likely effects of the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary impact include all but which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) a stratospheric dust cloud that lasted 3-6 months 
B) massive fires from the heat of the blast and from molten material 
C) oxides of nitrogen formed by the compressive shock wave,forming HNO3 in the atmosphere 
D) significant long-term cooling in the oceans but warming in continental areas 
E) total extinction of all land animals with a body mass of more than about 10 kg 
A) a stratospheric dust cloud that lasted 3-6 months 
B) massive fires from the heat of the blast and from molten material 
C) oxides of nitrogen formed by the compressive shock wave,forming HNO3 in the atmosphere 
D) significant long-term cooling in the oceans but warming in continental areas 
E) total extinction of all land animals with a body mass of more than about 10 kg

Question 14

A comet may travel 100,000 astronomical units away during its orbit (an astronomical unit is 93 million miles,the distance between Earth and Sun).

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

A comet's tail __________________.

Accepted Answer

A) lines up with the solar wind moving outward from the Sun 
B) points toward the nearest planet as a result of its gravity 
C) is a vapor trail behind a comet that points in the direction from which the comet came 
D) always points toward the Sun 
E) is composed of smoke from the burning comet 
A) lines up with the solar wind moving outward from the Sun 
B) points toward the nearest planet as a result of its gravity 
C) is a vapor trail behind a comet that points in the direction from which the comet came 
D) always points toward the Sun 
E) is composed of smoke from the burning comet

Question 16

Estimating the magnitude of the K/T boundary impact earthquake can be done by scaling up from the energy released in nuclear explosions,leading to an estimate of a K/T impact earthquake of magnitude 11.3.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

The four inner planets are small,close together,near the Sun,and rocky.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

In 1994,the comet Shoemaker-Levy crashed with spectacular results into _____________.

Accepted Answer

A) Saturn 
B) Mars 
C) Titan 
D) Jupiter 
E) Venus 
A) Saturn 
B) Mars 
C) Titan 
D) Jupiter 
E) Venus

Question 19

A comet's tail is produced by the charged particles of the solar wind acting on comet ices.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Comets are composed of ___________________.

Accepted Answer

A) ice and rocky debris 
B) gas,mostly hydrogen and helium 
C) solid rock,mostly andesite 
D) electro-magnetic plasma 
E) mostly organic material 
A) ice and rocky debris 
B) gas,mostly hydrogen and helium 
C) solid rock,mostly andesite 
D) electro-magnetic plasma 
E) mostly organic material

The solar wind is ___________________.

Evidence demonstrating that the crater in Arizona formed by meteorite impact includes all but which of the following?

Statistically,your risk of being killed by a meteoroid impact is greater than that of dying by flood or tornado.

The world's classic meteorite crater lies on an arid portion of the Colorado Plateau in __________________.

The solar system is surrounded by the Oort cloud composed of about a trillion comets,icy objects with orbits that take them far beyond the outermost planets of our solar system.

Halley's comet has an average orbital period of ________________.

The 1-cm-thick clay layer that marks the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T)boundary has a high percentage of the element ________ in the clay layer,an enrichment about 300 times greater than the normal abundance.

The nearer an icy comet approaches the Sun,the smaller its tail becomes.

Space debris that collides with the Earth comes primarily from fragmented asteroids and secondarily from comets.

The biggest known impact on Earth in the twentieth century was the Tunguska,Siberia,event in1908.

As a comet curves around the Sun,its tail rotates also,always pointing away from the direction in which the comet is heading.

The major types of meteorites are either "irons" (metallic)or "stones" (rocky).

Likely effects of the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary impact include all but which of the following?

A comet may travel 100,000 astronomical units away during its orbit (an astronomical unit is 93 million miles,the distance between Earth and Sun).

A comet's tail __________________.

Estimating the magnitude of the K/T boundary impact earthquake can be done by scaling up from the energy released in nuclear explosions,leading to an estimate of a K/T impact earthquake of magnitude 11.3.

The four inner planets are small,close together,near the Sun,and rocky.

In 1994,the comet Shoemaker-Levy crashed with spectacular results into _____________.

A comet's tail is produced by the charged particles of the solar wind acting on comet ices.

Comets are composed of ___________________.

Natural Disasters and the Human Population

Internal Energy and Plate Tectonics

Earthquake Geology and Seismology

Plate Tectonics and Earthquakes

Earthquakes Throughout the United States and Canada

Volcanic Eruptions: Plate Tectonics and Magmas

Volcano Processes and Deadly Events

Tsunami Versus Wind-Caused Waves

External Energy Fuels Weather and Climate

Tornadoes, Lightning, Heat, and Cold

Hurricanes

Climate Change

Floods

Fire

Mass Movements

Coastal Processes and Hazards

Filters

Exam 17: Impacts With Space Objects

The solar wind is ___________________.

Evidence demonstrating that the crater in Arizona formed by meteorite impact includes all but which of the following?

Statistically,your risk of being killed by a meteoroid impact is greater than that of dying by flood or tornado.

The world's classic meteorite crater lies on an arid portion of the Colorado Plateau in __________________.

The solar system is surrounded by the Oort cloud composed of about a trillion comets,icy objects with orbits that take them far beyond the outermost planets of our solar system.

Halley's comet has an average orbital period of ________________.

The 1-cm-thick clay layer that marks the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T)boundary has a high percentage of the element ________ in the clay layer,an enrichment about 300 times greater than the normal abundance.

The nearer an icy comet approaches the Sun,the smaller its tail becomes.

Space debris that collides with the Earth comes primarily from fragmented asteroids and secondarily from comets.

The biggest known impact on Earth in the twentieth century was the Tunguska,Siberia,event in1908.

As a comet curves around the Sun,its tail rotates also,always pointing away from the direction in which the comet is heading.

The major types of meteorites are either "irons" (metallic)or "stones" (rocky).

Likely effects of the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary impact include all but which of the following?

A comet may travel 100,000 astronomical units away during its orbit (an astronomical unit is 93 million miles,the distance between Earth and Sun).

A comet's tail __________________.

Estimating the magnitude of the K/T boundary impact earthquake can be done by scaling up from the energy released in nuclear explosions,leading to an estimate of a K/T impact earthquake of magnitude 11.3.

The four inner planets are small,close together,near the Sun,and rocky.

In 1994,the comet Shoemaker-Levy crashed with spectacular results into _____________.

A comet's tail is produced by the charged particles of the solar wind acting on comet ices.

Comets are composed of ___________________.

Natural Disasters and the Human Population

Internal Energy and Plate Tectonics

Earthquake Geology and Seismology

Plate Tectonics and Earthquakes

Earthquakes Throughout the United States and Canada

Volcanic Eruptions: Plate Tectonics and Magmas

Volcano Processes and Deadly Events

Tsunami Versus Wind-Caused Waves

External Energy Fuels Weather and Climate

Tornadoes, Lightning, Heat, and Cold

Hurricanes

Climate Change

Floods

Fire

Mass Movements

Coastal Processes and Hazards

Filters