Geology 109 Exam 1 Questions and Answers
2024/2025 |WELL ELABORATED SOLUTIONS|
Which statement is true for the outer planets of our solar system? -they produce enough internal energy to glow like the Sun -they have solid surfaces just below a layer of clouds -they lack systems of rings. -they ...
Geology 109 Exam 1 Questions and Answers
2024/2025 |WELL ELABORATED SOLUTIONS|
Which statement is true for the outer planets of our solar system?
-they produce enough internal energy to glow like the Sun
-they have solid surfaces just below a layer of clouds
-they lack systems of rings.
-they are largely made of hydrogen and helium. - answers They are largely made of hydrogen
and helium.
The giant outer planets are not large enough to sustain nuclear fusion like stars, but they are
made of similar materials - hydrogen and helium. They have no solid surfaces and they
commonly have rings.
Water ice is __________ on the moons of the outer planets. - answers most abundant on the
moons of the outer planets
Water ice is stable and common on the moons of the outer planets and into the Kuiper belt. It is
unstable in the near vacuum of the inner solar system because the temperature is too high.
What sets the composition of the moons of the outer planets apart from the inner planets?
-The moons of the outer planets have abundant hydrogen and helium -- like the planets around
which they revolve.
-The moons of the outer planets are dominated by nitrogen ice.
-The moons of the outer planets generally have more iron metal and are denser than those of the
inner planets.
-The moons of the outer planets generally have lower densities. - answers The moons of the
outer planets generally have lower densities.
The moons of the outer planets are too small to retain atmospheres of hydrogen and helium and
are dominantly water ice rather than nitrogen ice, which is only stable in the far outer reaches of
the solar system.
Which objects have orbits that take them the farthest from the Sun in our solar system?
-Comets
-Asteroids
-Pluto and its moon Charon
,-Galilean satellites - answers Comets
Some comets have orbital periods of hundreds of thousands of years. The group of comets that
occupies the outermost limits of the solar system is called the Oort Cloud.
Which of the following objects is most like Earth in size and composition?
Venus is nearly the same diameter and composition to Earth. Neptune is large and
compositionally very different, and the others (Mercury, Ida, & Mars) are rocky like Earth, but
significantly smaller.
What is a major difference between planets and stars? (select all that apply)
-Planets are much smaller in diameter than the stars around which they revolve.
-Planets do not generate energy through nuclear fusion.
-Planets do not have systems of smaller bodies in orbits around them like many stars do.
-Planets have solid surfaces, and stars do not. - answers -Planets are much smaller in diameter
than the stars around which they revolve.
-Planets do not generate energy through nuclear fusion.
What are the major differences between a moon and a planet? (select all that apply)
-Planets revolve around the Sun.
-Moons revolve around a Sun-orbiting planet.
-Moons are smaller than any of the planets.
-Except for Earth's moon, all other moons orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. - answers -
Planets revolve around the Sun.
-Moons revolve around a Sun-orbiting planet.
A few moons are actually bigger than Pluto and Mercury. By definition, moons (natural
satellites) don't orbit around the Sun but instead revolve around another planetary body. Some
asteroids even have moons.
Which of the following are the characteristics of the asteroid belt? (select all that apply)
,-It consists of thousands of small bodies, all less than about 10 km in diameter.
-The asteroids mark the transition from the rocky terrestrial planets to the outer planets.
-Some asteroids appear to be rocky; some seem covered with lava; others seem to be metallic;
and yet others may have water ice.
-Many meteorites that fall on Earth come from the asteroid belt. - answers -The asteroids mark
the transition from the rocky terrestrial planets to the outer planets.
-Some asteroids appear to be rocky; some seem covered with lava; others seem to be metallic;
and yet others may have water ice.
-Many meteorites that fall on Earth come from the asteroid belt.
The largest asteroid Ceres is almost 1,000 km across. The asteroids are between Mars and Jupiter
and have a wide array of compositions.
According to our best modern day evidence, how long ago was the Big Bang?
-Too far back for us to have any idea.
-About 14 billion years ago.
-About 4.5 billion years ago.
-About 2.5 billion years ago.
-About 65 million years ago at the end of the age of dinosaurs - answers About 14 billion years
ago.
Which is the correct sequence of planets, based on increasing average radius of their orbits? -
answers Closest to Sun
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Farthest from Sun
Which of the following correctly finish the following statement
, The inner planets __________.
-have about the same size as the outer planets
-all have several moons
-have about the same composition as the outer planets
-all have orbiting systems of rings
- None of the above - answers None of the above
The outer planets are hydrogen-helium mixtures, larger than the inner planets, and have rings and
moons. They contrast with the inner planets in each of these aspects.
As of 2015, our best estimate for when the Big Bang occurred is 13.8 billion years ago.
The most basic subatomic particles include which of the following? (Select all that apply.)
-Protons
-Neutrons
-Isotopes
-Ions
-Electrons - answers Protons, neutrons, and electrons
Protons, neutrons, and electrons are the basic subatomic particles that compose the elements.
Ions are elements that has a positive or negative charge (lost or gained electrons). Isotopes are
elements with varying number of neutrons.
How are elements heavier than iron produced?
-As the heaviest elements decay by radioactivity.
-During a supernova explosion
-By gravitational collapse of a star.
-During the formation of a planetary nebula. - answers During a supernova explosion
Only elements up to iron are made within stars. All heavier elements are created during the
intense event of a supernova.
What is the principal method of light element (up to iron, atomic number 26) production?
-radioactive decay of heavy elements
-gravitational collapse of a star
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