Answer The Following Geology Of The Moon Flashcards

Which of the following facts could result from the Moon's slow rotation and lack of an iron core? The Moon has essentially no magnetic firled What is the origin of regolith? Rock crushed by impacts Which of the following facts supports the hypothesis that the surface features of the Moon did not change over the past 3 billion years? The Moon does not have an atmosphere What is the composition of regolith? Anorthosite fragments in the highlands and basaltic in the maria What conclusive proof do we have that the Moon has essentially zero magnetic field? Magnetic field measurements taken by the Apollo astronauts Why do astronomers believe that the lunar maria are younger than the highlands? The maria have fewer cratrers The Moon's average density is 3 g/cm cubed, while the Earth has 5 g/cm cubed. Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from this comparison? The Earth has more iron and nickel What is the probable origin of some mountain chains observed near the lunar maria? They were formed by material that pushed up by the impact that created the maria. Astronomers attribute the lack of atmosphere on the Moon to: The low gravitational force of the Moon Which of the following changes would you expect to observe if the Moon was orbiting on the ecliptic? Only a lunar eclipse every full moon and a solar eclipse every new moon are correct An astronaut on the far side of the Moon would be able to see: The Earth rising and setting every 29 days Why do astronomers interpret the lack of impact cratering as evidence of a younger terrain? Because at the present rate of impacts, a newly formed surface will not suffer many hits Astronomers claim that the features on the Moon's surface are older than on Earth, because: The surface of the Earth is subject to water and wind erosion, which do not occur on the Moon Rays appear to radiate from some of the Lunar craters. What is the origin of these rays? Streaks of pulverized rock The absence of plate tectonic motion on the Moon can be explained by the fact that: The Moon interior is cooler than the Earth's and therefore there is no heat to createconvective motion Assuming that the Earth and Moon formed at the same time, what conclusions can be drawn regarding the present temperature of their cores? The Moon, being smaller, has cooler interior, because smaller objects cool off faster than larger objects We know that the Moon's orbit is not on the ecliptic because: Eclipses do not occur every lunar month How do we know that the Moon causes ocean tides? Because the Moon-rise and the tide pattern repeat 50 minutes later every day Which of the following observations is consistant with the hypothesis that the Moon was created by collision? The similarities of the Moon's composition with the Earth's crust For an observer on the Moon, the stars on the celectial sphere rotate once every ______. 27.3 days The gravitational pull of the Sun on the Earth is 200 times stronger than the pull from the Moon. How could we explain this apparent contradiction? The Sun's differential gravitational pull is smaller than the differential gravitational from the Moon The high water in the English-channel advances from West to East. Is this high water resulting from the Moon's tidal effect? Yes, it' s due to the tidal force of the Moon, but in this case the coastal topography affects direction Some of the lunar rilles appear straight while others have meandering shape. How do we explain the different shapes of the rilles? Both the straight rilles are probably cracks and the meandering rilles are canyons Which of the following statements about the lunar maria is not true? The maria do not show signs of cratering Which of the following is at present the most widely accepted theory about the origin of the Moon? The Moon formed when material blasted out of the Earth during a collision with a planet-sized object What would explain the fact that maria are uncommon in the far side of the Moon? The crust on the far side is thicker than the near side, therefore molten rock could not break through Which of the following argues against the fission theory of the origin of the Moon? The Moon's orbit is near the ecliptic, not near the equator Which of the following values correctly represents the highest ocean tides observed on Earth? 10 meters During a lunar eclipse on Earth an astronaut stationed on the near side of the Moon would observe_____. A solar eclipse The lunar _____ are smoother and younger than the _____. Maria; highlands The Moon's crust is composed of ______ rock. Silicate The lunar ______ are considerabely more crated than the ______. Highlands; maria The lunar craters originated from _____. Objects striking the surface The surface of the Moon is covered by a layer of _____ several meters thick. Regolith The crust of the Moon is _____ on the side facing the Earth. Thinner The Moon can never be more than 5 degrees above or below the ______. Ecliptic As a result of tidal breaking the days on Earth are getting longer by about _______. 2 seconds every 100,000 years Because of the Moon's ______ an observer on Earth can at most see 50% of the Moon's surface. Synchronous rotation The ______ observed on the Moon's surface are canyons carved by ancient _____ flows. Rilles; lava The _____ radiating from some Lunar craters are thought to be _______. Rays; streaks of pulverized rocks Solar eclipses do not occur every new Moon phase because the Moon orbits _______. In a plane forming a 5 degree angle to the ecliptic The majority of lunar craters are volcanic in origin. False During the new Moon phase, an observer on the near side of the Moon would see the full Earth as a full disk ("full Earth phase") True The most abundant type of rock in the lunar highlands is the anorthosite. True The fact that the maria are relatively smooth supports the hypothesis that the entire surface of the Moon was molten when the maria formed. False During a solar eclipse on Earth an astronaut stationed on the near side of the Moon would observe the Moon's shadow eclipsing the Earth. False The most abundant type of rock in the lunar maria is the basalt. True The lunar maria look darker than highlands, because they are composed of dark basalts. True As a result of tidal breaking, the Moon is spinning slower around its axis. False The maria dominate the far side of the Moon. False The crust of the Moon on the side that faces Earth is thinner than the crust in the opposite side. True The solar eclipses occur only on February and August. False The Sun's tidal effect on Earth is about one half of the Moon's effect. We conclude that the Sun's force on Earth is half as strong as the Moon's pull on Earth. False Astronomers believe that the Moon's age is about 4.6 billion years, equal to the age of the Earth. True Basalt can be found on this part of the Moon? Maria Erosion can be found on this part of the Moon? Not on the Moon The probable cause of the Straight rilles lunar surface feature is _______. Surface cracks Regolith can be found on this part of the Moon? Both highlands and maria Olivine can be found on this part of this part of the Moon? Mantle Anorthosite can be found on this part of the Moon? Highlands Iron on the surface can be found on this part of the Moon? Maria The probable cause of the Meandering rilles lunar surface feature is _______. Lava flows The probable cause of the Rays lunar surface feature is ________. Impacts The Moon rotates once around its axis in ____. 27.3 days The time between successive new moon phases is _______. 29.5 days The probable cause of most craters is _______. Impacts The probable cause of the Regolith lunar surface features is ______. Impacts Convection currents can be found on this part of the Moon? Not on the Moon Most maria can be found on _____ of the Moon. The near side Thinner crust can be found on the ___ of the Moon. The near side Rays can be found on _____ of the Moon. Both sides Mostly highlands can be found on _____ of the Moon. Both sides Plate tectonic motion can be found on ______ of the Moon. Not on the Moon Which Moon phase does the solar eclipse phenomena occur? New Moon Which part of the Moon is there Atmosphere? None on the Moon Which Moon phase does the extreme high and low tides phenomena occur? Full or New Moon Which part of the Moon would one find winds? None on the Moon Which Moon phase does the the Low tide phenomena occur? Full or New Moon Which Moon phase does the lunar eclipse phenomena occur? Full Moon Which part of the Moon would one find a magnetic field? None on the Moon Thicker crust can be found on ____ of the Moon. The far side Regolith can be found on ______ of the Moon. Both sides Which part of the Moon would one find impact craters? On either side of the Moon In the _____ theory the fact that the Moon orbits near the ecliptic is not mere coincidence. Giant Impact The _______ theory assumes that the Earth was spinning very fast. Fission According to the ________ theory, the Earth and the Moon should have the same overall composition. Twin Which part of the Moon would one find extensive lava dasins? Mostly on near side of the Moon Which part of the Moon would one find Aurora? None on the Moon The ______ theory attributes all similarities to coincidence. Capture