Earth, Moon, and Mercury

Flashcards covering the Earth, Moon, and Mercury.

Earth has a , , and _.

Metal core, silicate mantle, and outer crust

Our planet's geology is dominated by _, in which crustal plates move slowly in response to mantle convection.

Plate tectonics

The atmosphere is composed primarily of and _.

N2 and O2

_ and _ in the atmosphere heat the surface through the greenhouse effect.

CO2 and methane

Earth has been influenced by the _, including such recent examples as Meteor Crater and the Tunguska explosion.

Impacts of cosmic debris

Recent spacecraft have found evidence of a ___ , most likely deposited by comet and asteroid impacts.

Small amount of water near the lunar poles

The Moon, like Earth, was formed about ___.

4.5 billion years ago

The ___ says that the Moon originated from the impact of a Mars-sized projectile with Earth 4.5 billion years ago.

Giant impact hypothesis

Mercury differs from the Moon in having a very large ___.

Metal core