Unit 3 Test Review

List the Jovian planets in order from closest to the sun to furthest from the sun.

Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus - Neptune

List the terrestrial planets in order from closest to the sun the furthest from the sun.

Mercury - Venus - Earth - Mars

What are the defining characteristics of Jovian planets?

- outer planets.
- orbits life far apart from each other.
- gaseous in nature.
- all have rings.
- many moons on most planets.
- very dense cores.
- much larger than terrestrial plants.

What are the defining characteristics of terrestrial planets?

- inner planets.
- rocky in nature.
- varying surface conditions.
- varying atmospheres.
- varying rotational rates.
- only a few means (3).
- only earth has oxygen.
- lie close together.

Of the characteristics Terrestrial/Jovian, which ones physically separated the planets into the two main categories?

Terrestrial: Rocky in nature.
Jovian: Gaseous in nature.

What do the Kuiper belt and astroid belt have in common?

All composed of remnants from the formation of the solar system.

Asteroids

large space rocks orbiting the sun.

Meteorites

Chunk of interplanetary debris prior to encountering earths atmosphere.

Meteorite

any part of a meteorite that reaches the surface of the earth.

Describe the nebular theory.

- Large cloud of dust and gas called a nebula starts to collapse and rotate due to an outside influence.
- Conservation of angular momentum says as the cloud contracts it spins faster.

Describe the condensation theory.

- Includes basic facts about conditions in the disk as the planets formed.
- as the disk shrank, the sun began to heat the disk this allowed only objects with the high melting points to condense out of the cloud of gas.

What is 1 AU (Astronomical unit) equal in kilometers?

149.6 Million km

1 AU is equal The distance from the _____ to the ___

Earth to the Sun

List the four layers of earths atmosphere in order from closest to the surface to further away from the surface.

Closest to Surface:
1. Troposphere
2. Stratosphere
3. Mesosphere
4. Ionosphere
Farthest to Surface:

Troposphere:

Where convection takes place — responsible for weather.

Stratosphere:

Where you'll find the very important ozone layer. The ozone layer helps protect us from ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun.

Ionosphere:

Ionized by solar radiation (X-ray) & y-ray, and is a good conductor; this is where the aurorae are occurring.

Mesosphere:

Protects the planet Earth from the celestial rocky masses that enter the atmospheric envelope of the Earth.

What is the function of ozone in our atmosphere?

Ozone layer is the upper stratosphere absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

What is the Aurora?

refers to a natural light display in the Earth's sky called the aurora polaris, or polar lights, visible only in high-latitude regions like the North and South Poles.

Explain the Montreal protocol

To limit production and use of CFCs.
- This is why our air conditioners and aerosol cans had to have their coolants changed. China, India and others still do not follow the protocol

Explain the Kyoto Protocols

Kyoto protocol limits on greenhouse gas emissions.

Why does the sky appear blue? What name is given for this phenomenon?

Atmosphere scatters blue, but not red light, this is called Rayleigh scattering.

List the top three greenhouse gases..

- Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
- Carbon Monoxide (CO)
- Methane (CH4)
- Nitrous (N20)

Describe the three types of earths atmosphere throughout its history:

- Primary: Atmosphere was hydrogen, helium; this escaped earths gravity.
- Secondary: atmosphere, from volcanic activity, mostly nitrogen.
- Life: appeared creating atmospheric oxygen.

Which scientist propose the idea of continental drift (Continental drift theory)?

Alfred Wegner in 1915

What is a subduction zone?

Earths upper mantle, near a plate boundary; this is where one plate slides below another.

Convergent:

Earths upper mantle, near a plate boundary; this is where one plate slides below another.

Transform:

Plates can also slide along each other, creating faults where many earthquakes occur.

Divergent:

Play can move away from each, other creating rifts.

What drives crustal plate motion?

Plate motion is driven by convection currents in the mantle material.

What is the name for the supercontinent that is believed to have existed 200 million years ago?

Pangaea

On average how many years passed between magnetic field reversals on earth?

500,000 years

What is the magnetosphere? How does it protect us?

The region around the Earth where charged particles from the Solar wind are trapped.

Explain effects tides has on the planet and how it does so.

Due to gravitational force on earth from the moon.

What is a neap tide?

(Lower) Earth, Sun and Moon make a right angle.

What is a spring tide?

(Higher) Earth, Sun and Moon in a straight line.

Explain tidal friction. What will eventually be the result?

- our day gets longer as the mover seeds from us
- this will continue until the earth rotates synchronously with the moon
- so that the same side of the earth always points towards the moon

What is the name given for the magnetosphere?

Van Allen belts