Planetary Geology
Terms
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- METEORITE
- -Are rocks from space that have survived their passsage through the atmosphere to land on earth's surface.
- DESCRIPTION OF A VOLCANIC CRATER
-
-round
-smaller
-above surrounding
-no overlapping
-volcanic debris
-igneous - 5 FACTORS AFFECTING CRATER FORMATION
- -Angle, speed, mass, surface area
- STONY METEORITES
- -Silicate composition, shiny or rust interior or glassy fusion crust. Most common meteorites
- IRON METEORITES
- -Are stronger than stony meteorites; therefore, they don't break up easily in space or as they pass through the atmosphere.
- METEOR FALL
- -Meteorite composed of mainly iron rarely break up on entry.
- 3 PIECES OF INFORMATION GIVEN IN A METEORITE NAME
-
-Are named after the nearest town (Noblesville, IN)
-Post office so their names are often picturised - CAPTURE THEORY
- -Proposes that as the solar system was forming, a large object ventured too near to the forming earth, became trapped into gravitational pull and formed the moon.
- SIMULTANEOUS THEORY
- -The moon and the earth formed at the same time and in the same general area, and thus the material which they were essentially the same.
- IMPACT THEORY
- -The moon formed as the result of a gigantic collision between earth and mars-sized object about 4.5 billion yrs ago.
- DESCRIPTION OF AN METEORITE CRATER
-
-Dimple
-Rim
-ejecta - RELATIVE DATING
- -Identifying a surface as being "younger" or "older" than another
- SUPERPOSTION AND CROSS-CUTTING
-
-super position: a surface on top of another is younger than the one it over laps.
-cross-cutting: the feature that is "cut through" is older than the feauture thats doing the cutting. - DENSITY
-
-how much mass exsist in a particular volume
-how tightly packed molecules are
-rock ~ 3.5g/cm3
-ice ~ 1g/cm3
-nixture~2g/cm3 - ALBEDO
-
-how bright the surface is based on % of sunlight reflected.
-if bright, most likely more icy
-if low, most likely rock and ice or rock (defines day and night orbit). - ALBEDO OF AN ICY PLANET
- -Alaska
- ALBEDO OF A ROCKY PLANET
- -Montana
- WHAT DETERMINES ALBEDO
- -the sunlight determines albedo.
- GRADATION
- -ex: erosion ,weathering, deposition , landslides, running H2O on earth: grand canyon on mars: valles mariners, visible on older surface on venus.
- TECTONISM
-
-formhighlands, ridges (mountains)
-can cause land to be streched or uplifted - VOLCANISM
-
-caused by a warm interior
-creates smooth, dark maria (lava flows)
-caldera irregular crater of a very large volcano. - HOW AIR MOVES IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
- -north: counter clockwise (right curve)
- HOW AIR MOVES IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
- -south: clockwise (left curve)
- AIR MOVES FROM_ TO_ PRESSURE
-
-air moves from high =low pressure (low=high temperature)
-occurs in all atmosphere and planets
-can create convection (cool)
warm - CORIOLIS EFFECT
-
-affect of a planet's rotation causing friction on the air, causing it to curve
-without coriolis:high =low straight
-with coriolis:high curved low