Freeman-Lynde GLY116 Planetary Geology & Early Earth Questions

The red shift of the electromagnetic spectrum indicates that the Universe is cooling.
The 3 degree K background temperature indicates that the Universe is expanding.
The red shift of the electromagnetic spectrum indicates that the Universe is expanding.
The Universe initially consisted of only Hydrogen & Helium.
The composition of the Universe is thought to have remained exactly the same during the last 15-20 by.
The Universe is younger than / the same age as / older than (circle) the Solar System & Earth.

The Solar System is thought by most astronomers to have formed 4.6 billion years ago.
The rotational axes of most planets in the solar system are nearly perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic.
Hydrogen, Helium, H2O, NH3, CH4, & CO2 comprised the Refractory components of the solar nebula.
The Solar System is thought by most astronomers to have formed ________________.
D. 2.5 by ago A. 15-20 by ago B. 4.6 by ago C. 3.8 by ago D. in 4004 B. C. E. none of these

The Volatile-rich planets consist dominantly of silicate rock & metals.
Jupiter is a Jovian planet.
The outer Jovian planets are volatile-rich.
The Jovian planets consist dominantly of Water (H2O), Ammonia (NH3) & Methane (CH4).
The moons of the Jovian planets are monotonous spheres of water ice.
Which of the following has a composition dominated by Hydrogen & Helium?
Which of the following do not have an abundance of Hydrogen and Helium in their atmosphere?
Which of the following have an abundance of Hydrogen and Helium in their atmosphere?
A. Sun B. Earth C. Venus D. all of these E. none of these A. Mercury B. Mars C. Jupiter D. Uranus E. Saturn D. Neptune
Hydrogen & Helium does NOT dominate the composition of the ________________.
Hydrogen & Helium dominate the compositions of:
A. Sun B. Jovian planets C. terrestrial planets D. both A. & B. E. all of these
_______________ is a volatile-rich planet.
A. Mercury B. Venus C. Earth D. all of these E. none of these

The terrestrial planets consist dominantly of Water (H2O), Ammonia (NH3) & Methane (CH4).
The inner terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars & Madonna) are volatile-rich.
Venus is a Jovian planet.
The composition of the terrestrial planets consists mostly of:
A. Hydrogen B. Helium C. Water D. both A. & B. E. none of these
Which of the following is not a terrestrial planet?
A. Mars B. Venus C. Mercury D. all of these E. none of these
_______________ is a Refractory-rich planet.
B. Jupiter C. Uranus A. Venus B. Earth C. Mercury D. all of these E. none of these
The Earth is a Refractory / Volatile (circle one) -rich planet.

The Jovian planets are gaseous because their orbits were far enough from the Sun that they accreted significant quantities of water, ammonia, & methane ices, in addition to metal & rock particles.
The Jovian planets attracted huge amounts of Hydrogen &Helium because their orbits were far enough from the Sun that they accreted significant quantities of Water (H2O), Ammonia (NH3), Methane (CH4), & Carbon dioxide (CO2) ices (plus metal &am p; rock particles).
Which of the following orbited the proto-Sun where ices of Water (H2O), Ammonia (NH3), Methane (CH4), & Carbon dioxide (CO2) had crystallized?
C. Mercury A. Earth B. Venus C. Mars D. all of these. E. none of these A. Uranus B. Saturn C. Jupiter D. all of these. E. none of these
Why didn't the inner terrestrial planets amass large amounts of Hydrogen & Helium like the outer Jovian planets?
- A. there was no Hydrogen and Helium in the inner part of the solar nebula D. all of these
- B. the inner part of the solar nebula was too warm for volatile ices to form E. none of these
- C. there was only refractory rock & metal grains in the inner part of the solar nebula

Short Answers: Briefly answer the following questions.
Briefly describe the 2 types of evidence for the Big Bang. When did the Big Bang occur?

Bonus: (2 pts.) Which of the following is orbited by a satellite that consists of reassembled pieces generated when the satellite was was completely shattered by an impact?

A. Jupiter B. Saturn C. Uranus D. Neptune E. all of these

The Earth's atmosphere & hydrosphere have the same composition as the primitive atmosphere surrounding the proto-Earth 4.5 billion years ago.
Earth's atmosphere has essentially the same composition now as it did 4.5 billion years ago.
The Earth's present atmosphere has the same composition as it did 4.6 by ago.
The composition of the Earth's atmosphere has changed during the last 4.6 billion years.
Most of the Argon in the Earth's atmosphere is biogenic.
Most of the CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere is radiogenic.
Most of the O2 in the Earth's atmosphere is biogenic.
The O2 content of the Earth's atmosphere has always been ~20%.
The oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere is thought to have been "outgassed" from the Earth's interior.
The Earth's atmosphere & hydrosphere are generally thought to have resulted from volatiles outgassed from the Earth's mantle.
Which of the following volatiles occurring in the Earth's atmosphere & hydrosphere was not outgassed from the Earth's interior during differentiation?
A. H2O B. Oxygen C. Helium 3 D. CO2 E. Nitrogen
__________ was outgassed from the Earth's interior during differentiation?
A. H2O B. CO2 C. He3 D. all of these E. none of these
The Hadean atmosphere was notably deficient in _____________.
A. CO2 B. free O2 C. methane D. all of these E. none of these
During the Hadean Earth's atmophere had __________________.
- A. relatively abundant carbon dioxide (CO2) D. all of these
- B. relatively abundant methane (CH4) & ammonia (NH3) E. noneof these
- C. no free oxygen (O2).
Why is there so little CO2 in the Earth's present atmosphere?
- A. It was scrubbed from atmosphere by reaction with H2O.
- B. It has been biologically fixed in the crust as limestone & coal. D. both A. & B.
- C. It has been lost to outer space. E. none of these
There so little CO2 in the Earth's present atmosphere because it _______________.
- A. was scrubbed from atmosphere by reaction with H2O B. has been biologically fixed in the crust as limestone & coal
- C. both A. & B. D. has been lost to outer space E. none of these
There is so little ________________________________________ in the Earth's present atmosphere because it has been scrubbed from atmosphere by reaction with H2O & biologicallyfixed in the crust as limestone (CaCO3) & coal.

The Low Velocity Zone is found at the top of the lithosphere.
The Low Velocity Zone is found at the top of the aesthenosphere.
The lithosphere is the rigid upper part of the Earth and consists of the crust plus the upper ~100 km of mantle.
The lower, rigid part of the mantle (700-2900 km deep) is called the aesthenosphere.
The lower, rigid part of the mantle (700-2900 km deep) is called the lithosphere.
The Earth's continental crust consists dominantly of granite.
Which of the following is true concerning the Earth's crust?
- A. Continental crust is thicker than oceanic crust. B. Continental crust has a composition that is granitic.
- C. Oceanic crust has a composition that is basaltic. D. Crust forms the upper part of the lithosphere.
- E. all of these E. none of these
Matching: Match the division of the Earth on the left with the description on the right that describes that division. Items on the right will be used only once.
- Continental Crust A. Rigid upper mantle + crust F. Fluid metal
- Oceanic Crust B. Plastic mantle (~100 - 700 km) G. Solid metal
- Aesthenosphere C. Rigid lower mantle (700 - 2900 km) H. Iron/nickel alloy
- Atmosphere D. Iron & Magnesium Silicates & Oxides I. Granite
- Inner Core E. Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon J. Basalt
- Outer Core
Matching: Match a Earth division on the left with the description on the right that describes that division. Items on the right will be used only once, but 1 item will not be used. Enter your choice on the computer answer sheet.
- Core A. Constitutes Earth's rigid upper layer
- Mesosphere B. Consists dominantly of granite
- Lithosphere C. Consists of iron/nickel alloy
- Continental Crust D. Consists dominantly of basalt and gabbro
- Oceanic Crust E. Consists of magnesium/iron oxides & silicates
Matching: Match the strength division of the Earth on the left with the description on the right that pertains to that strength division. Three items on the right will be used once, & two items on the right will not be used at all.
- Aesthenosphere A. Fluid metal
- Inner Core B. Plastic mantle (~100 - 700 km)
- Lithosphere C. Rigid lower mantle (700 - 2900 km)
- D. Rigid upper mantle + crust
- E. Solid metal
Matching: Match the description on the left with the strength division of the Earth on the right to which that description pertains. 4 items on the right will be used once, and 1 item on the right will not be used at all.
- Rigid upper mantle + crust A. Aesthenosphere E. Outer Core
- Plastic mantle (~100 - 700 km) B. Inner Core
- Rigid lower mantle (700 - 2900 km) C. Lithosphere
- Fluid metal D. Mesosphere
Matching: Match the numbers in the diagram below (these correspond to the numbered blanks on the left) with the terms indicating compositional structural units of the Earth listed on the right. Items on the right will be used only once.
Fill in the Blank: Fill in the blanks in the diagram below with the compositional layer of the Earth indicated by each blank. The diagram is to scale, that is the layer indicated by blank #1 is ~2900 km thick, the layer indicated by blank #2 is ~3500 km thick, & the layer indicated by blank #3 is 7 to 35 km thick.
Fill in the Blank: Below is a diagram showing the various compositional layers of the Earth TO SCALE (that is the layer indicated by "5" is ~600 km thick). Fill in the blanks with the name of each layer (#'s 1, 2, & 5) & the composition of the layers (composition of layer 1 in space 3 & composition of layer 2 in space 4).
The _____________________________________(strength division) is the rigid upper part of the Earth.
The Earth's oceanic crust consists of Basalt / Granite (circle one).

Short Answers: Briefly answer the following questions.

What are the 3 compositional layers into which the rocky part of the Earth (not the atmosphere or hydrosphere) is divided? What is the composition of each? Use a diagram if you wish.

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