Chapter 10 Review

Front 1

Why was the summer of 2003 a fine time for Mars observers?

Back 1

Mars was closer to us than it has been in over 50,000 years.

Front 2

Mars is best viewed from Earth when it is at

Back 2

opposition.

Front 3

Why does Mars appear fainter than Venus, as seen from Earth?

Back 3

because it is smaller, farther away and less reflective

Front 4

What physical feature of Mars are atypical compared with the other terrestrial planets?

Back 4

Its density

Front 5

Which is the correct size order, from smallest to largest?

Back 5

Mercury, Mars, Venus

Front 6

How long is a day on Mars?

Back 6

24 hours, 36 minutes

Front 7

How does the axial tilt of Mars compare with our own?

Back 7

It is almost identical to the Earth.

Front 8

Unlike Earth, Mars' seasons are affected (enhanced and diminished) by the distance between Mars and the Sun. This is because

Back 8

the orbit of Mars is significantly more elliptical.

Front 9

Where do the names for the moons of Mars (Phobos and Deimos) come from?

Back 9

the sons of Ares and Aphrodite

Front 10

Why are Mars' seasons more extreme than those of the earth?

Back 10

Mars' weather is driven by evaporation from the polar ice in its summer.Mars' orbit is more eccentric than our almost circular one.Mars' seas dried up long ago.Mars' axial tilt is slightly more than our 23.5 degrees.All of these contribute to the huge barometric changes that Mars experiences.

Front 11

The most prominent feature of Mars observable from Earth is

Back 11

its bright polar caps

Front 12

What causes the changing dark and light features visible on the Martian surface from Earth?

Back 12

highly cratered and eroded areas that are frequently covered and uncovered by dust

Front 13

Most of the dark regions on Mars visible from Earth are

Back 13

volcanic planes like the lunar maria.

Front 14

The difference between the Grand Canyon and the Valles Marineris is

Back 14

the Valles Marineris has craters in and around it.the Grand Canyon was formed by water.the Valles Marineris has tectonic features surrounding it.the Valles Marineris is much larger than the Grand Canyon.all of the above

Front 15

Which of these were observed from Earth, prior to spacecraft missions to Mars?

Back 15

dust storms capable of covering the entire planetseasonal changes in the polar capsBoth A and C are correct.

Front 16

The deepest depression found on the surface of Mars is the

Back 16

Hellas basin

Front 17

Valles Marineris is the most striking example of a(n)

Back 17

rift valley

Front 18

The most striking valley in the solar system is:

Back 18

Valles Marineris on Mars.

Front 19

The largest shield volcano yet discovered is:

Back 19

Olympus Mons on Mars

Front 20

Why is the southern hemisphere of Mars believed to be older than the northern?

Back 20

The southern hemisphere is more heavily cratered.

Front 21

Olympus Mons and Maxwell Mons are both

Back 21

shield volcanoes.

Front 22

The NASA missions that landed on Mars in 1976 were the

Back 22

Vikings I and II.

Front 23

What property of Mars is responsible for producing the great heights of its volcanos?

Back 23

Its thick crust can support larger peaks, and lower surface gravity does not pull them down as much as on Earth.

Front 24

Which of the following characterizes a shield volcano?

Back 24

It sits above a hot spot in the planet's mantle.

Front 25

Which of these is not now on the surface of Mars?

Back 25

Mars Global Surveyor

Front 26

The first successful landers on the surface of Mars were:

Back 26

Vikings 1 and 2 in 1976.

Front 27

The NASA lander which deployed the first rover, Sojourner, in 1997 was:

Back 27

Pathfinder.

Front 28

The largest difference between Mars' northern and southern hemispheres is that:

Back 28

the southern appears older, with more impact craters.

Front 29

The Tharsis Bulge on Mars is roughly the size of

Back 29

North America

Front 30

What is thought to be the reason that there are no small impact craters on Mars?

Back 30

The wind blows small dust particles, eroding the surface of Mars, erasing small impact craters faster than they can form.

Front 31

The largest and deepest impact basin found on Mars is

Back 31

Hellas.

Front 32

That the Tharsis region on Mars has so few craters

Back 32

suggests it is the youngest region on the planet.

Front 33

The outflow channels on Mars indicate a flood period in the history of Mars. During this time, based on the width and depth of the remaining riverbed, it is thought that the flow rate must have been

Back 33

enormous, as much as 100 times the flow rate of the Amazon River.

Front 34

If water caused the huge outflow channels on Mars, what was the most likely process that formed them?

Back 34

catastrophic but rare flooding

Front 35

Evidence of liquid water in Mars' distant past suggests that it had a substantial atmosphere compared to what it has presently. What happened to its water vapor?

Back 35

The atmosphere has frozen out into the polar ice caps and permafrost as Mars has cooled.

Front 36

Why is Mars red?

Back 36

The iron in the surface rocks have been oxidized over time.

Front 37

One piece of evidence against the possibility of water on Mars is

Back 37

the few carbonate rock layers that would have formed on the bottoms of oceans.

Front 38

Evidence for a permafrost layer of ice just a few meters below the surface of Mars include

Back 38

"fluidized ejecta" craters.

Front 39

is there evidence of life on Mars

Back 39

We have confusing and uncertain results to date.

Front 40

The main constituent of the Martian atmosphere is

Back 40

carbon dioxide.

Front 41

Venus and Mars probably evolved differently from Earth because:

Back 41

they orbit at different distances from the Sun.

Front 42

One of the most unexpected aspects of Mars' atmosphere is

Back 42

that its troposphere changes altitude.

Front 43

Compare the atmospheres of Mars and Venus.

Back 43

Both are chiefly carbon dioxide, but at Mars it can freeze as dry ice.

Front 44

The seasonal changes on Mars create:

Back 44

great changes in the barometric pressure as the atmosphere freezes and sublimes.remarkable changes in size of the two dry ice polar caps.huge dust storms that can enshroud the planet's disk.changes in the dark features noted from Earth by telescopes long ago.All of these are correct.

Front 45

Rank these magnetic fields, from weakest to strongest.

Back 45

Venus, Mars, Mercury, Earth

Front 46

Mars' magnetic field is so weak because

Back 46

its core contains less iron than our own.it core may no longer be molten.Both B and C are probable.

Front 47

How many moons does Mars have?

Back 47

2

Front 48

What piece of evidence suggests that the martian moons did not form with Mars?

Back 48

Their composition is significantly different from Mars and the terrestrial planets.