Which of the following statements about our solar system's terrestrial worlds are true?
answer
They are all made primarily of rock and metal.
They are all of nearly the same age.
Their interiors all have a core, mantle, and crust.
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The existence of a core-mantle-crust interior structure tells us that a world __________.
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once had a molten interior
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How does the amount of heat released in a planet's interior by radioactive decay change with time?
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It drops off with time.
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As a general rule, smaller planets __________ than larger planets.
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cool more rapidly
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Earth has a relatively strong magnetic field, but Mars does not. Which of the following probably explains why Mars lacks a strong magnetic field today?
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Its core is too cool for convection.
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Mercury is considered a small planet. How long after the formation of the solar system do you think volcanic and tectonic activity stopped on Mercury.
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about 2 billion years
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Mars is considered a medium sized planet. How much of Mars surface do you think is covered by volcanic and tectonic features?
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most
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Venus is considered a large sized planet. How much of venus surface do you think is covered by volcanic and tectonic features?
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all
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Which planet have the most erosion features?
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large, warm planets
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Why does Earth have more erosion features than Venus?
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Earth is colder than Venus.
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Can small planets have lots of erosion features?
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No
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Why doesn't Mars have as many erosion features as Earth?
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Mars is smaller than Earth.
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Can a large planet have lots of impact craters long after it has formed?
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No
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Why doesn't Venus have many impact craters?
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Most craters have been erased by tectonic and volcanic features.
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Venus is a large hot planet and Earth is a large warm planet. What is the main difference in the surface of the two?
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Venus has fewer erosion features than Earth.
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Which planets will be significantly cratered after 4.5 Gyr, with very few features due to other geological processes?
answer
Any small planet, regardless of its temperature
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Which planet will have a significant number of surface features due to all 4 geological processes after 4.5 billion years?
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Medium warm planets
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If we found an earth sized planets orbiting very close to another star, which planet would it surface resemble?
answer
Venus
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If Mars were the same size as Mercury, which surface features would it have?
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Lots of crater, but few valleys, mountains, and volcanoes
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Why doesn't the Earth have as many craters as the Moon?
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Most of earths craters have been erased by volcanism, tectonic activity, and erosion
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Which of the following would cause Venus's surface geology to look the most different from the way it looks today?
answer
Make Venus half its current size (radius)
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If the Earth where half its size (making it a medium sized planet) which planet's surface would it resemble most?
answer
Mars
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Which of the following represent the sequence in which the listed planets become geologically dead?
answer
Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth
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If a planet is found to have lots of tectonic activity, which other geologic process is most likely to be very active as well?
answer
Volcanism
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Why does Mercury have more craters than Venus?
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Venus is more massive than Mercury
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The average temperature over the past 1000 years has been about 15āC. From the graphs, you can conclude that Earth's average temperature during the past 800,000 years has __________.
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varied between about 7āC and 19āC
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On the graphs shown, you can identify an ice age by looking for __________.
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a trough (bottom of a dip) on the temperature graph
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Notice that the peaks and troughs on the temperature graph occur at the about the same times as peaks and troughs on the carbon dioxide graph. What can we infer from this fact alone?
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There is a correlation between the carbon dioxide concentration and the global average temperature.
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Although the data show only a correlation between the carbon dioxide concentration and the global average temperature, scientists have other reasons to think that a rise in the carbon dioxide concentration actually causes a rise in the global average temperature. All of the following statements are true. Which statements lend support to the idea that carbon dioxide is a cause of planetary warming?
answer
-Models of the greenhouse effect successfully predict the temperatures of Venus and Mars from their atmospheric carbon dioxide amounts.
-We understand the physical mechanism of the greenhouse effect, through which carbon dioxide can increase a planet's temperature.
-Models of Earth's climate that include recent increases in the carbon dioxide concentration match observed temperature increases better than those that do not include it.
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Based on the evidence that atmospheric carbon dioxide is a cause of planetary warming, what aspect of the graphs should most concern us?
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The carbon dioxide concentration today is significantly higher than at any time in the past 800,000 years and is rapidly rising.
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Make a prediction: If the rise in carbon dioxide concentration continues at its current pace, the concentration in the year 2050 will be about _____ parts per million.
answer
460
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Based on Planet Z's size, orbital distance, and rotation rate, which of the following properties is it likely to have?
answer
- active volcanoes
- active tectonics
- an atmosphere produced by outgassing
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You have found that Planet Z should have active tectonics and volcanism and an atmosphere produced by volcanic outgassing. What single factor explains why the planet should have these characteristics?
answer
has a large size for a terrestrial planet.
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In Part A, you found that Planet Z should not have polar ice caps or liquid water. What single change to Planet Z's characteristics would allow it to have these things?
answer
a greater distance from its star
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In Part A, you found that Planet Z should not have strong winds and violent storms. What single change to Planet Z's characteristics would cause it to have strong winds and violent storms?
answer
a faster rotation rate
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In Part A, you found that Planet Z should not have seasons. What single change to Planet Z's characteristics would cause it to have seasons?
answer
a larger axis tilt
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The energy that warms Earth's surface comes primarily in the form of __________.
answer
visible light from the Sun
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Earth's temperature remains fairly steady, which means that Earth must return nearly the same amount of energy to space that it receives from the Sun. In what form(s) does Earth return most of this energy to space?
answer
visible light reflected by the surface, visible light reflected by clouds, and infrared light emitted by the surface and atmosphere
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Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor, make Earth warmer than it would be otherwise because these gases __________
answer
absorb infrared light emitted by the surface
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According to scientists, the naturally occurring greenhouse effect makes Earth about 31āC warmer than it would be if there were no greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. How do scientists "know" what Earth's temperature would be without greenhouse gases?
answer
They calculate this temperature from Earth's reflectivity and distance from the Sun.
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All of the following statements are true. Which one provides strong observational support for the claim that greenhouse gases make a planet warmer than it would be otherwise?
answer
Venus has a higher average temperature than Mercury.
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Based solely on an understanding of the greenhouse effect (as displayed in the figure), which one of the following statements is true?
answer
We should expect an increase in the greenhouse gas concentration to lead to global warming.
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Which of the following is a strong greenhouse gas?
answer
water vapor
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How many of the five terrestrial worlds are considered "geologically dead"?
answer
two
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On a cloudless day, what happens to most of the visible light headed toward Earth?
answer
It reaches Earth's surface, where some is reflected and some is absorbed.
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What happens to the energy that the ground absorbs in the form of visible sunlight?
answer
It is returned upward in the form of infrared light.
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The greenhouse effect raises Earth's surface temperature (from what it would be otherwise) because the infrared light radiated by Earth's surface __________.
answer
is absorbed by greenhouse gases, slowing the escape of this energy to space
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What do we conclude if a planet has few impact craters of any size?
answer
Other geological processes have wiped out craters.
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Which of a planet's fundamental properties has the greatest effect on its level of volcanic and tectonic activity?
answer
size
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In general, what kind of terrestrial planet would you expect to have the thickest lithosphere?
answer
a small planet
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Which heat source continues to contribute to Earth's internal heat?
answer
radioactive decay
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Assuming that features you see on Mars are similar to features found on Earth, what would a casual inspection of the interactive photo of Mars lead you to suspect about water on Mars?
answer
Surface water only exists as frozen ice.
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Which of the following Mars surface features provides dramatic evidence that volcanism has played a role in shaping the surface of Mars?
answer
Olympus Mons
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Go to the screen in the interactive figure called "Key Evidence of Water," then zoom in on the "Southern Highlands." Which geologic processes are most clearly evident in the southern highlands?
answer
impact cratering and erosion
question
Go to the screen in the interactive figure called "Major Geological Features." Which of the following statements about the Tharsis Bulge, often simply called "Tharsis," are true?
answer
-Tharsis has higher elevation than surrounding regions.
-One end of Valles Marineris is connected to Tharsis.
-Tharsis has several large volcanoes.
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Which describes our understanding of flowing water on Mars?
answer
It was important once, but no longer.
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Which terrestrial world has the most atmospheric gas?
answer
Venus
question
The oxygen in Earth's atmosphere was released by
answer
life
question
Where is the most CO2 that has outgassed from Earth's volcanoes?
answer
locked up in rocks
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