Planetary Geology pdf - NASA

Part One
1. (Answers will vary.) Volcanism, tectonism,
gradation.
2. (Answers will vary.) Impact cratering.
3. (Answers will vary.) Tectonism, gradation,
volcanism.
4. (Answers will vary.) Impact cratering.
5. Answers will vary, but should indicate tectonism
and gradation occur more often than volcanism
and impact cratering (which is very
rare).
6. a. Answers will vary, however, volcanoes
tends to form large features over a short
period of time.
b. Answers will vary, however, gradation can
level mountains and fill in large bodies of
water over the course of millions of years.
c. Answers will vary. Location of population
centers in relation to known areas of volcanism
and tectonism and the ability to
predict activity due to these processes will
control their impact on society (which can
be great over a short time period, or have
no effect during centuries of dormancy).
Large gradational events, such as floods,
can do as much damage to property and
cause as much loss of life as large earthquakes
or volcanic eruptions.
Part Two
North America: B. 6 tectonic, 8 gradation,
4 volcanic, 1 impact.
South America: B. 6 tectonic, 4 gradation,
3 volcanic, 0 impact.
Europe: B. 1 tectonic, 1 gradation,
0 volcanic, 0 impact.
Africa: B. 2 tectonic, 1 gradation,
0 volcanic, 0 impact.
Exercise One: Geologic Events on Earth
Answer Key
EG-1998-03-109-HQ Activities in Planetary Geology for the Physical and Earth Sciences
5
Asia: B. 9 tectonic, 6 gradation,
4 volcanic, 0 impact.
Antarctica: B. 1 tectonic, 0 gradation,
0 volcanic, 0 impact.
Australia: B. 6 tectonic, 0 gradation,
1 volcanic, 0 impact.
Atlantic Islands: B. 8 tectonic, 0 gradation,
0 volcanic, 0 impact.
Pacific Islands: B. 28 tectonic, 3 gradation,
8 volcanic,
0 impact.
Complete data set: B. 67 tectonic, 23 gradation,
20 volcanic,
1 impact.
1. Tectonism.
2. Impact cratering. Not many objects in space act
as meteorites, most burn up in the atmosphere
before impact, many land in the oceans.
3. Volcanism and most tectonic events border the
Pacific Ocean (the ÒRing-of-Fire,Ó related to
plate tectonics). Most tectonic events are related
to plate boundaries, but due to the limited
numbers, will appear to be randomly distributed
except for those in the Pacific. Gradation
events are randomly located. With only one
event it cannot be determined from the data,
but impact cratering is also random.
4. Gradation. No. On the Earth, water and wind
work to physically and chemically break up the
surface and then move the materials to new
locations for deposition. Lacking wind, water,
and ice, gradation on the Moon occurs by physically
breaking up the surface during impacting
events. The surface materials are only transported
if they are thrown out by an impacting
event.