Jump to study questions from:

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 |

Study Questions Part 1              Study Questions Part 2                  Study Questions Part 3  

 

STUDY QUESTIONS PART 2

 

Study Questions Week 5

Earth:

  1. What are the major processes that modify planetary surfaces? Which is most important on Mercury? On Venus? On Earth?
  2. What is the driving force of plate tectonics?
  3. What role does radioactivity play in determining a planets structure?
  4. Describe what the magnetization of the ocean floor tells us about the history of Earth's magnetic field, and also about the motion of plates.
  5. Describe how the major surface features (e.g. mountain ranges, mid-ocean ridges, deep ocean trenches) of Earth are related to plate tectonics.
  6. What is differentiation of a planet?
  7. Describe the Earths magnetic field. What is the cause of the Earth's magnetic field? In general, how are planetary magnetic fields formed?
     
  8. Review and Discussion Ch. 7: 1, 10, 11
     

Study Questions Week 6

Chapter 14:

  1. What are the differences between asteroids and comets?
  2. What are the different classes of asteroids as based on composition? How abundant are each kind?
  3. Compare and contrast the orbital properties of the different groups of asteroids.
  4. Explain the terms: meteor, meteorite, and meteoroid.
  5. What is the connection between comets and meteors?
  6. Discuss the composition of meteorites. What does this tell us about their origins?
  7. Compare and contrast the places where comets originate. (Oort cloud and Kuiper belt)
  8. Describe the structure and composition of a comet. What happens as a comet approaches the Sun?
  9. Compare and contrast the orbits of comets and asteroids.
  10. How many asteroids are known? What is the total mass of all the known asteroids?
  11. What are the composition and physical properties of a typical asteroid?

Earth impacts by asteroids and comets

Video " The Doomsday Asteroid" and Article "The Day the Dinosaurs Died"

  1. Discuss the evidence that a major impact 65 million years ago was responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs.
  2. Describe the Tungaska event.
  3. What options are possible for dealing with a potentially earth impacting asteroid?
  4. Discuss the possible scenario of events following a major earth impact.
  5. What is significant about iridium?
  6. What type and size of object is thought to have caused Meteor Crater in Arizona?
  7. Where is the is the crater Chicxulub and why is it significant?.
  8. What do you need to know in order to calculate the energy of an impact event?
  9. Be able to do problems similar to the energy of impacts worksheet.

Study Questions Week 7

Phases of the Moon

  1. Know the phases of the Moon.
  2. Know the relationship between the phase of the Moon, the time of observation, and where the Moon is seen in the sky.
  3. Know the relationship between the phase of the Moon and the angle form the Sun to Earth to Moon.
  4. Know the definition of "elongation".
  5. Be able to draw celestial sphere diagrams for the phases of the Moon.

Chapter 8

  1. Describe the different types of surface features of the Moon. What are the relative ages of each?
  2. Be able to describe the lunar surface features in terms of our four processes: impact cratering, volcanism, tectonics, and erosion.
  3. Why do we think the crater Tycho is one of the youngest large craters on the Moon?
  4. Discuss the theories of the formation of the Moon. What is the evidence that supports each? Which theory is currently favored, and why?
  5. Describe the relationship between impact basins and mare.
  6. What is thought to be the origin of sinuous rilles? Of linear rilles?
  7. Describe erosion on the Moon. 
  8. Describe the geologic history of the Moon.
  9. Be able to locate and identify the following features on the Moon (I include two maps of the moon with the following features labeled in the Moon powerpoint)

Labeled Moon Map available here

 

Study Questions Week 8

Apollo Missions

  1. Be able to summarize three of the six Apollo landing missions. Know: where they landed, what they did, what were some of the keystone accomplishments of the mission, and what were the major scientific or technical objectives of the mission.

Apollo landing site map

Ice on the Moon Article

  1. What two missions detected evidence of ice on the Moon?
  2. In what regions on the Moon is the ice found?
  3. In what type of terrain is the ice found? How is it possible for ice to exist there?
  4. How did the water get to the moon?

Chapter 10: Mars

  1. Describe the overall surface of Mars. Know the general characteristics of the southern highlands, the northern plains,  and the uplift areas (Tharsis and Elysium). 
  2. Be able to describe/discuss the features of Mars in terms of the four processes: impact cratering, volcanism, tectonics, and erosion.
  3. How does the northern region differ from the southern region?
  4. Describe the general characteristics of Valles Marineris.
  5. Describe the general  characteristics of the Martian  polar caps.
  6. Describe the impact craters on Mars. How are they different from those on the Moon?
  7. Describe the overall distribution of impact craters.
  8. Describe the surface features that are attributed to running  water on Mars.
  9. Describe the evidence for catastrophic flooding on Mars
  10. What are the characteristics of "outflow channels" and  "runoff channels"?
  11. Describe the evidence for water on Mars.
  12. Describe surface features produced by wind.
  13.  Describe surface features produce by slumping (landslides).
  14. What are the characteristics of Martian volcanoes?
  15. Describe  tectonic features on Mars.
  16. Describe the geologic history of Mars.

Study Questions Weeks 9  and 10

Mars Exploration Rovers: Video and Sky and Telescope article


 

Mars Exploration