Terrestrial Planets Evolution and Characteristics

Flashcards that cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the evolution and features of terrestrial planets.

Terrestrial Planets

Rocky planets in the inner Solar System including Mercury, Venus, and Mars.

Interior Structure

The internal layers of a planet, such as the crust, mantle, and core, which provide insight into its formation and evolution.

Differentiation

The process where denser materials sink to a planet’s core while lighter materials rise to the surface during its formation.

Cooling Time

The duration required for a planet to lose most of its internal heat, influenced by its size and surface area.

Cratering Phase

A stage in planetary evolution characterized by impacts from asteroids and comets that leave craters on the surface.

Magma Flooding

The process that occurs after a large impact, where molten rock fills the crater formed by the impact.

Weathering

The alteration of a planet’s surface caused by erosion, typically through water and atmospheric processes.

Runaway Greenhouse Effect

A condition where a planet’s atmosphere traps solar energy, leading to extremely high surface temperatures; exemplified by Venus.

Valles Marineris

The largest canyon system in the Solar System found on Mars, significantly deeper than the Grand Canyon.

Volcanism

The geological process of magma rising to the surface, leading to the formation of volcanoes and other surface features.