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STUDY QUESTIONS PART 2

Study Questions Week 6

Earth impacts by asteroids and comets

Video " The Doomsday Asteroid" and Articles "Collisions with Comets and Asteroids" and "The Day the Dinosaurs Died"

1. What characteristics of the rock layer at the KT boundary suggest a major impact occurred then?
2. Discuss the mechanisms that are proposed for killing the dinosaurs.
3. How far does the Oort cloud extend towards the nearest star?
4. Discuss the evidence that a major impact 65 million years ago was responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs.
5. Describe the Tungaska event.
6. What options are possible for dealing with a potentially earth impacting asteroid?
7. Discuss the possible scenario of events following a major earth impact.
8. Discuss what is known about the layers in the KT boundary.
9. What is significant about iridium?
10. What type and size of object is thought to have caused Meteor Crater in Arizona?
11. Which asteroids are considered to be a threat to Earth? These asteroids are sometimes classified as "small", "medium" and "large". What are the sizes of the medium and the large asteroids. How many of each are expected? How often do we expect an Earth impact from each size?
12. Describe what is known about the crater Chicxulub. How was it discovered? Why is it so difficult to measure the size of the crater? Why is it important to know the size of the crater?
13. How many comets are thought to be in the Kuiper belt?
14. Be able to summarize the main points of the articles.
15. What evidence supports the hypothesis that an impact caused the extinction of the dinosaurs? What evidence contradicts the hypothesis?

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.

Study Questions Week 7

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)

• Mare Imbrium
• Mare Tranquilitatis
• Mare Serenitatis
• Mare Crisium
• Sinus Iridium
• Oceanus Procellarum
• Craters:
• Tycho
• Copernicus
• Also, know the locations of the six Apollo landing sites.

Labeled Moon Map available here

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

Study Questions Week 8

Lunar Prospector Study Questions (answered by the articles "Lunar Prospector: Overview" and "NASA's New Moon") 

1. What are the goals of the LP mission?
2. What instrument does LP use to measure the composition of the Moons surface? How does it work?
3. What are the KREEP rich rocks?
4. Where are the KREEP rocks found?
5. Why are the KREEP rocks significant?
6. What elements are mapped by the gamma ray spectrometer?
7. How does the neutron spectrometer work? What does it measure?
8. Why is finding water on the moon significant?
9. What do learn from studying the Moon’s gravity?
10. How is LP mapping the Moon’s gravity?
11. What data from LP was used to estimate the size and mass of the lunar core? What are the results?
12. What is the theory of how the Moon’s magnetic field formed?
13. Describe the magnetic field of the moon.
14. What is the alpha  particle spectrometer going to study?
15. Why is there so little data from the  alpha particle spectrometer so far?
16. What is the favored theory of formation of 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. What is the "chaotic terrain"? Where is it found?
5. Describe the general characteristics of Valles Marineris.
6. Describe the general  characteristics of the Martian  polar caps.
7. Describe the impact craters on Mars. How are they different from those on the Moon?
8. Describe the overall distribution of impact craters.
9. Describe the surface features that are attributed to running  water on Mars.
10. Describe the evidence for catastrophic flooding on Mars
11. What are the characteristics of "outflow channels" and  "runoff channels"?
12. Describe the evidence for water on Mars.
13. Describe surface features produced by wind.
14. Why is wind a  more effective agent of erosion on Mars than on the Earth?
15.  Describe surface features produce by slumping (landslides).
16. What are the characteristics of Martian volcanoes?
17. Describe  tectonic features on Mars.
18. What instruments are on board Mars Global Survey? What does each measure? 
19. Describe the geologic history of Mars.
20. On a map of Mars, be able to locate and identify the following surface features:
• Olympus Mons
• The Tharsis region
• Valles Marineris
• Hellas basin
• Argyre basin
• Chryse Planitia
• Utopia Planitia
• Syrtis Major
• The landing sites of Spirit and Opportunity (you may have to consult the Mars globe in the classroom to find these)

   

(Mars map available on line)

Study Questions Week 9

Spectroscopy

  
• What is the purpose of using spectrometers in planetary studies?

Explain how an x-ray spectrometer works. Where do the initial x-rays come from? 

• Explain how a gamma ray spectrometer works.
• What two sources will produce the gamma rays detected by the spectrometer?  
• Why do we use both x-ray and gamma ray spectrometers? 
• Be able to do the asteroid composition exercise.
   

Mars Exploration Rovers

• What is the main goal of the Mars Exploration Rovers?
• What is the primary significant finding of the Mars Exploration Rovers?
• Why was Gusev Crater chosen for Spirit's landing site?
• Why was Meridiani Planum chosen for Opportunity's landing site?
• Describe what Spirit found at Gusev Crater?
• Describe what Opportunity found at Meridiani Planum.
• What are the so called "blueberries" found by Opportunity? What is significant about them? How do they form?
• The Eagle outcrop studied by Opportunity contained 40% salts such as magnesium sulfate and calcium sulfate. What does this tell us about the history of the area?
• What is the RAT and why is it important?