Exam 3

Regolith

A layer of fine dust and broken rock on the Moon's surface, formed by constant micrometeorite impacts over billions of years.

Craters

Depressions on the Moon's surface caused by impacts, with sharp-edged craters being younger and rounded edges indicating older, eroded craters.

Ejecta Blankets

Material thrown out during an impact; younger craters have lighter-colored ejecta.

Anorthosite

A type of rock found in the Moon's highlands, rich in plagioclase, similar to rocks found in Earth's Adirondack Mountains.

Caloris Basin

A major impact feature on Mercury caused by a 60-mile-wide iron meteorite.

3:2 Spin-Orbit Resonance

A phenomenon where Mercury rotates 3 times for every 2 orbits around the Sun.

Pancake Domes

Volcanic features on Venus that are characterized by their dome-like shape and are formed from past volcanic activity.

Olympus Mons

The tallest volcano in the solar system located on Mars, approximately 3 times the height of Mt. Everest.

Valles Marineris

The largest canyon in the solar system, located on Mars, stretching 3000 miles long and 7 miles deep.

Runaway Greenhouse Effect

A process where heat is trapped in an atmosphere, leading to extremely high surface temperatures, as experienced on Venus.

Solar Wind

A stream of charged particles released from the Sun, capable of stripping away atmosphere from celestial bodies.

Mars's Climate Change

The transformation of Mars from having a protective magnetic field to losing its atmosphere and surface water due to solar wind.

Dust Storms on Mars

Pink skies and blue sunsets.

Magnetic Field

An area of magnetic influence around a planet; Venus has a weak or nonexistent one compared to Earth's strong one.

Weather on Mars

Including CO₂ frost caps at poles with seasonal growth and shrinkage, and condensation flow that moves gas across its surface.

Volcanism on Venus

Reshaping of the surface of Venus by volcanic flows, noted for its lack of plate tectonics.