Astronomy vocab ch. 9-10

teehee

polar vortices

long lived pattern of circulating winds around the pole of a planet

coronae

Large, roughly curcular region on Venus caused by upwelling mantle material causing planets crust to bulge outward

Lava Dome

Volcanic formation formed from lava oozing out of fissures in a planet’s surface, crating a dome and then it withdraws causing crust to crack and subside

Shield volcanos

Produced by repeated nonexplosive eruptions of lava, creating gradually sloping, shield-shaped dome

Runaway Greenhouse effect

Process which the heating of a planet leads in increase of atmosphere ability to return heat, thus further heating causing extreme changes in the temp. of surface and composition of atmosphere

Seasonal cap

portion of Martian polar cap that is subject to seasonal variation, growing and shrinking once a Martian year

Residual Cap

Portion of Martian polar cap that remains permanently frozen with no seasonal variation

Runoff channel

River-like features on Mars, evidence that liquid water once existed there in great quantity

Outflow Channels

Surface features that suggest water on Mars; Relics of catastrophic flooding near equator

Permafrost

Layer of permanent water ice believed to froze under surface of Mars

Phobos

Mars’ larger moon named after Greek God of fear. Shaped similar to asteroid

Deimos

Mars’ smaller moon named after Greek God of panic. Shaped similar to asteroid

Polar Cap

High latitude region of planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite that’s covered in ice

Tharis Bulge

Broad elevated region on Mars with the most intense and recent volcanic activity