Deck 6: Terrestrial Worlds in the Inner Solar System

Question 1

The maria on the Moon's surface are approximately 1 billion years younger than the rest of its surface.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The Moon's tidal forces on Earth result in it pulling the near side of Earth toward it and pushing the far side of Earth away from it.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Differentiation occurred inside each terrestrial planet.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The Mars rovers named Spirit and Opportunity found evidence in the chemical makeup of the rocks that proves Mars had liquid water on its surface in the past.

Question 5

The smoother,less cratered surfaces of the Moon resulted from those areas being protected by the Moon's proximity to Earth.

Question 6

There are two main forces that shape a planet's surface: impacts and plate tectonics.

Question 7

The interior of the Earth is differentiated because it cooled very quickly.

Question 8

Convection cannot take place in the Earth's mantle because it is not molten.

Question 9

Ocean tides on Earth are caused only by the Moon.

Question 10

Mars has many large shield volcanoes probably because its core is colder than the Earth's core.

Question 11

The interior of the Earth is hot mainly because of the pressure induced by the weight of the material above it.

Question 12

Permanent magnetism in the Earth's solid iron core is the source of Earth's magnetic field.

Question 13

The reason that Earth is hotter than Jupiter is because the Earth is smaller than Jupiter.

Question 14

Mercury has the largest core compared to the size of the planet.

Question 15

All the terrestrial planets show evidence of disruptions due to tectonics.

Question 16

Primary waves are seismic longitudinal waves whose paths are deflected when they travel through the Earth's liquid core.

Question 17

Volcanoes on Earth typically occur in the middle of oceans where two tectonic plates move farther apart.

Question 18

Earth's magnetic axis and its spin axis are not aligned.

Question 19

Tides are strongest when the Moon is at first quarter phase or third quarter phase.

Question 20

On Mars,water ice is present primarily in its polar ice caps.

Question 21

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

A) measuring the number of craters per square meter on Mercury
B) radioactive dating of rocks retrieved from the Moon
C) carbon dating of rocks from mountains on the Earth
D) measurement of the magnetic field variations on the sea floor

Question 22

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

A) 1 billion years older
B) 1 billion years younger
C) 1 million years older
D) 1 million years younger

Question 23

According to studies of impact cratering,which of the terrestrial planets has the oldest surface?

A) Mercury
B) Venus
C) Earth
D) Mars

Question 24

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

A) Wind erosion
B) Larger atmosphere
C) Higher density interior
D) Liquid water on surface

Question 25

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

A) Meteoroid
B) Meteor
C) Meteorite

Question 26

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

A) the rate of cratering in the Solar System has changed dramatically over time
B) the younger lunar surfaces are hundreds of billions of years younger than the oldest surfaces
C) the Moon has never been geologically active at any point in its history
D) most of the heavy cratering in the Solar System occurred before Earth formed

Question 27

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

A) the rate of cratering in the early Solar System was strongly dependent on location
B) all three have thick,protective atmospheres
C) Earth and Venus were shielded from impacts by the Moon,and Mars was protected by the asteroid belt
D) Mars,Venus,and Earth were geologically active longer than Mercury and the Moon

Question 28

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

A) An asteroid moving at 100 m/s
B) An asteroid moving at 200 m/s
C) An asteroid moving at 10 m/s
D) An asteroid moving at 20 m/s

Question 29

What type of wave is depicted in the figure below?

A) Longitudinal
B) Transverse

Question 30

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

A) it formed first from denser material and then afterward accreted lighter material
B) it has both a liquid and solid core
C) it was liquid at some point in the past
D) only the crust is solid; the rest of Earth's interior is liquid

Question 31

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:

A) part of the planet's interior is liquid
B) all of the planet's interior is solid
C) the planet has an iron core
D) the planet's interior consists entirely of rocky materials

Question 32

The lithosphere of a planet is:

A) the molten layer under the crust
B) the layer of the atmosphere in which clouds form
C) the upper layer of its atmosphere
D) its solid surface

Question 33

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:

A) rapidly decreased approximately 3 billion years ago
B) rapidly decreased approximately 1 billion years ago
C) were very rare in the last 4.5 billion years
D) occurred at approximately a constant rate throughout most of the age of the Solar System

Question 34

What type of wave is depicted in the figure below?

A) Longitudinal
B) Transverse

Question 35

Cooler objects radiate more of their total light at shorter wavelengths than hotter objects.

Question 36

The smallest craters are found on:

A) Earth
B) Mars
C) Venus
D) the Moon

Question 37

Roughly how often does a high tide occur?

A) Once every 6 hours
B) Once every 12 hours
C) Once every 18 hours
D) Once every 24 hours

Question 38

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:

A) Earth,Venus,Mercury
B) Venus,Earth,Mercury
C) Mercury,Venus,Earth
D) Earth,Mercury,Venus

Question 39

A hotter star will radiate more blue photons than a cooler star.

Question 40

Differentiation refers to materials that are separate based on their:

A) weight
B) mass
C) volume
D) density

Question 41

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

A) Rapid rotation
B) Solid iron core
C) Convective motions
D) Electrically conducting liquid in the core

Question 42

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

A) smaller than usual tides
B) larger than usual tides
C) no tides

Question 43

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

A) The tidal effects of the moon
B) Seismic waves that traverse Earth's core
C) Decay of radioactive elements
D) Convective motions in the mantle

Question 44

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

A) fast rotation and a solid core
B) slow rotation and a liquid core
C) fast rotation and a liquid core
D) slow rotation and a solid core

Question 45

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

A) the core temperature is too low to melt iron
B) differentiation caused all of the heavy,solid material to sink to the bottom while Earth was forming
C) all the liquid has moved up into the mantle via convection
D) the pressure is too high for a liquid state

Question 46

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

A) flowing water
B) wind
C) solar radiation
D) dust storms

Question 47

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

A) Earth will spin more slowly on its axis.
B) The interior of the planet will solidify.
C) Volcanic activity will cease.
D) Continental drift will no longer occur.

Question 48

Mars has a diameter that is approximately half that 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?

A) Mars' heating rate is 0.12 times that of Earth's.
B) Mars' heating rate is 8 times that of Earth's.
C) Mars' heating rate is 0.5 times that of Earth's.
D) Mars' heating rate is 4 times that of Earth's.

Question 49

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

A) Absence of plate tectonics
B) Lack of atmosphere
C) Lower gravity (compared to Earth)
D) This is a trick question.None of these factors contributes to the formation of large volcanoes.

Question 50

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:

A) the same
B) larger
C) smaller
D) Tides were nonexistent in the past.

Question 51

If the Himalaya mountain range is presently 8,000 m in height and is rising at a rate of 0.5 m per century because of the convergence of two continental plates,how long did it take to create this mountain range?

A) 1,600 years
B) 160,000 years
C) 1.6 million years
D) 160 million years

Question 52

The largest volcanic mountains in the Solar System are found on:

A) Mercury
B) Venus
C) Earth
D) Mars

Question 53

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

A) Mercury
B) Venus
C) Earth
D) Mars

Question 54

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?

A) Earth only
B) Earth,Venus,and Mars only
C) Earth and Mars only
D) Earth and Mercury only

Question 55

Plate tectonics is NOT responsible for the formation of:

A) mountain ranges
B) canyons
C) volcanoes
D) ocean trenches

Question 56

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

A) mapping satellites have detected dry river beds
B) rovers have detected minerals that must have formed in the presence of liquid water
C) mapping satellites have detected outflow channels coming from impact craters
D) all of the above

Question 57

Continental drift occurs at a typical rate of a few:

A) mm/year
B) cm/year
C) m/year
D) km/year

Question 58

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

A) Local hot spots
B) Spreading centers
C) Subduction zones
D) All of the above

Question 59

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 Angles,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?

A) 3 million years
B) 300,000 years
C) 20 million years
D) 20,000 years

Question 60

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

A) A spreading center on the sea floor
B) A volcano in the middle of a continental plate
C) A fault at the border between two plates
D) A subduction zone on the sea floor

Question 61

As a blackbody becomes hotter,it also becomes __________ and __________.

A) more luminous; redder
B) more luminous; bluer
C) less luminous; redder
D) less luminous; bluer

Question 62

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

A) minerals that must have formed in an environment rich in liquid water
B) tiny streams of flowing water too small to be detected by orbiting satellites
C) dust storms that rapidly erode the surfaces of most geological formations
D) the northern polar ice cap is made primarily of frozen carbon dioxide

Question 63

Examine the figure below.Explain the theory as to how the Moon was formed and why it is currently accepted.

Question 64

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

A) 1000 K
B) 2000 K
C) 5000 K
D) 10,000 K
E) 100,000 K

Question 65

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

A) Mercury
B) Venus
C) Mars
D) Ganymede

Question 66

What are the four main processes that shape the surfaces of the terrestrial planets?

Question 67

Label the hydrosphere,lithosphere,and biosphere on this picture of the Earth.

Question 68

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?

A) One-half
B) One-fourth
C) One-eighth
D) One-sixteenth

Question 69

Label the geological processes that create the features in the images below.

Question 70

Suppose you had samples of the same kind of rock from two planets that were completely identical except that the interior of one was chemically differentiated and the interior of the other was not.How would you expect the samples to differ from each other?

Question 71

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

A) Twice as much
B) Four times as much
C) Eight times as much
D) Sixteen times as much

Question 72

Give a specific example of impacts of asteroids/comets that have happened on Earth.Why are impact craters rare on the surface of Earth,but plentiful on the Moon?

Question 73

Describe the difference between seismic primary and secondary waves and why this difference makes them useful in probing the structure of the Earth's interior.

Question 74

Flows of material surrounding Martian craters suggest:

A) volcanism in its interior
B) the presence of water in surface rocks
C) active plate tectonics at the time of impact
D) a very thin crust

Question 75

Which is denser,the mantle of Earth or its crust? Explain why.

Question 76

Describe two reasons why Earth's magnetic field cannot be a result of permanent magnetism.

Question 77

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? Note that ²³⁸U decays to ²⁰⁷Pb with a half-life of 700 million years.Assume that there was no ²⁰⁷Pb in the rock when it originally formed.

A) 1.4 billion years
B) 2.8 billion years
C) 230 million years
D) 4.5 billion years

Question 78

Name the terrestrial planets in order of increasing distance from the Sun.What are the terrestrial planets in order of increasing geologic age of their surface?

Question 79

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

A) 10^-5 m
B) 10^-3 m
C) 10^-2 m
D) 10 m
E) 1,000 m

Question 80

Why are impact craters rare on the surface of Earth,but plentiful on the Moon?