Planetary Geology pdf - NASA

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1. Answers will vary. At a minimum students should list the following: Terrain One: dark plainsÑsmooth (low relief), dark (low albedo), sparsely cratered, topographically low areas; Terrain Two: bright highlandsÑrough (high relief), light (high albedo), heavily cratered, topographically high areas. Possible additional terrains include: large young craters with rayed ejecta and moderate albedo highlands. 2. Answers will vary given terrains selected. For the terrains listed in question 1, the highlands are the oldest, the smooth plains are younger, and rayed craters are the youngest. Students should see that the rayed craters are superposed (on top) of the other terrains, and that the smooth plains cover (embay) the highlands. Unit Descriptions Unit Name Smooth Plains Smooth plains, few craters (mostly small), low albedo Volcanic flow Highlands Observation Interpretation Rugged, numerous craters are various sizes, high albedo, topographically high 3. The graben is younger than the unit that contains it (the highlands). Answer Key Old, heavily modified surface, possibly of volcanic origin 184 4. The smooth plains are younger than the highlands. The highlands contain more craters, larger craters, and more eroded craters. In addition, the graben ends at the contact. It is overlain by the volcanic smooth plains. 5. The ridge is younger. 6. The crater is younger. Stratigraphic Column Youngest Oldest Geologic Unit Structural Features Smooth Plains Highlands Crater on Ridge Ridge Graben Geologic History: This region was initially covered by a unit, possibly of volcanic origin, which was heavily cratered and modified by continued cratering. After formation of the highlands, tectonism occurred, as evidenced by the graben. Volcanic flows were emplaced in map area, represented by the smooth plains unit. No source area for the flows is identifiable within the mapped area. Cratering continued after the emplacement of the smooth plains unit. There has been a continuation (or reactivation) of tectonic activity in this area, indicated by the ridge. Finally, cratering has continuedÑ represented by the crater on the ridge. Exercise Fifteen: Introduction to Photogeologic Mapping Activities in Planetary Geology for the Physical and Earth Sciences EG-1998-03-109-HQ
Exercise Fifteen Purpose The objective of this exercise is to demonstrate how careful observations of a planet can be used to construct geologic maps. This includes the identification of rock units and placement of units in a time sequence. Materials Clear acetate or overhead transparency, overhead projector markers, tape (or tracing paper and pencil) Introduction More than three decades of planetary exploration show that the surfaces of the solid planets and satellites have been subjected to the same geologic processes: volcanism, tectonism (e.g., earthquakes), gradation (erosion, etc.), and impact cratering. The relative importance of each process differs from planet to planet, depending upon the local environment. For example, a planet not having running water, such as the Moon, will experience erosion of a different style and intensity in contrast to a planet having abundant running water such as Earth. Prior to the space program, the importance of impact cratering as a geologic process was not fully appreciated. It is now known that all of the planets were subjected to intense impact cratering in the early history of the solar system. Indeed, most of the craters on the Moon are of impact origin. On some planets, such as the Moon and Mercury, evidence of the impact process is preserved; on other planets, such as Earth, impact cratering is less evident. On the Moon, craters range in size from tiny micro craters of sub-millimeter size to the giant impact basins such as the 1300 km-diameter Imbrium basin. A geologic map is a graphic portrayal of the distribution and sequence of rock types, structural features such as folds and faults, and other geologic information. Such a map allows geologists to represent observations in a form that can be understood Exercise Fifteen: Introduction to Photogeologic Mapping Name Introduction to Photogeologic Mapping EG-1998-03-109-HQ Activities in Planetary Geology for the Physical and Earth Sciences 185 by others and links the observations made at different localities into a unified form. In many respects, a geologic map is like a graph to a physicist; it allows one to understand many observations in a comprehensive form. The unit is the basic component of geologic maps. By definition, it is a three-dimensional body of rock of essentially uniform composition formed during some specified interval of time and that is large enough to be shown on a conventional map. Thus, the making of geologic maps involves subdividing surface and near-surface rocks into different units according to their type and age. On Earth, geologic mapping involves a combination of field work, laboratory studies, and analyses of aerial photographs. In planetary geology, geologic mapping is done primarily by remote sensing methods--commonly interpretation of photographs. Field work is rather costly and not always possible. Mapping units are identified on photographs from morphology (the shape of the landforms), albedo characteristics (the range of ÒtoneÓ from light to dark), color, state of surface preservation (degree of erosion), and other properties. Remote sensing of chemical compositions permits refinements of photogeologic units. Once units are identified, interpretations of how the unit was formed are made. In planetary geologic mapping the observation and interpretation parts of a unit description are separated (see figure 15.1). After identifying the units and interpreting their mode of formation, the next task in preparing a photogeologic map is to determine the stratigraphic (age) relation among all the units. Stratigraphic relations are determined using: (a) the Principle of Superposition, (b) the law of cross-cutting relations, (c) embayment, and (d) impact crater distributions. The Principle of Superposition states that rock units are laid down one on top of the other, with the oldest (first formed) on the bottom and the youngest on the top. The law of cross-cutting relations states that for a rock unit to be modified (impacted, faulted, eroded, etc.) it must first exist as a unit. In other
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National Aeronautics and Space Admi
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A ctivities in Planetary Geology fo
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Preface Introduction Special Note t
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We are living in a time of revoluti
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Exercise One Suggested Correlation
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Part One 1. (Answers will vary.) Vo
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5. Based on the number of pictures
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_____ 08/19/92 earthquake, central
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165° W 75°W 0° 75°E180°E 75°N
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1. a. The volcano has a circular ba
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Exercise Two Volcanism Purpose By s
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7. List some factors that might aff
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. How is it similar? Examine the vi
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N 200 m Figure 2.1. Mount Capulin,
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N Figure 2.3. Oblique aerial view o
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Figures 2.7.a., 2.7.b. Meteor Crate
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N Figure 2.9. Mosaic of Landsat fra
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1. a. Sketch should show steep side
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Exercise Three Purpose By using ste
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Gradation 2. Figure 3.4 shows a por
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. Examine the broad, steep face tha
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e. Determine the sequence of events
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Exercise Three: Geologic Landforms
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Exercise Three: Geologic Landforms
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N Figure 3.8. Sierra Caballos Mount
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Exercise Four Impact Cratering Inst
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Objective To determine the initial
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Name Exercise Four Impact Cratering
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Sketch area In the fourth section o
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Part C Shot 1 (smallest) Shot 2 (ne
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10 km Exercise Four: Impact Crateri
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Science Standards ■ Earth and Spa
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Figure 5.1. Comparison of the forma
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Exercise Five Purpose To illustrate
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Part B: Volcanic Explosive Craterin
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N 100 km Figure 5.5. Olympus Mons,
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Exercise Six Suggested Correlation
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Figure 6.1. Different sand surfaces
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Exercise Six Purpose To learn how p
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*c. What geologic process(es) forme
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Figure 6.4. Photograph of lunar mar
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Exercise Seven Coriolis Effect Inst
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Purpose By tracing an object as it
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N 100 km Figure 7.1. Centered at 20
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elow this is the solid core of the
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for turbulent, inclement weather on
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7. Examine the atmosphere of Venus
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Figure 8.5. Viking Orbiter image 78
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N 102 Figure 8.7. Jupiter as seen b
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emove the flaps). Three windows are
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Purpose In this experiment you will
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10. Based on your three sketches of
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The wind is at work on other planet
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Unit Four The three decades from th
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1. The highlands are bright, rugged
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6. Based on the number of craters,
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Mercury Venus Earth Moon Mars Mean
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Figure 10.2. Mariner 10 mosaic of M
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C Figure 10.4. Magellan radar mosai
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Exercise Eleven Suggested Correlati
Page 121 and 122: Exercise Eleven Purpose To learn to
Page 123 and 124: . If windstreaks are dust deposits
Page 125 and 126: Figure 11.2. Ius Chasma, part of th
Page 127 and 128: Exercise Eleven: Geologic Features
Page 129 and 130: Exercise Twelve Suggested Correlati
Page 131 and 132: Exercise Twelve Purpose To learn ab
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Page 135 and 136: Figure 12.3. The prominent circular
Page 137 and 138: N 100 km Figure 12.6. Volcanoes com
Page 139 and 140: Exercise Twelve: Geologic Features
Page 141 and 142: Exercise Thirteen Suggested Correla
Page 143 and 144: I. Ganymede 1. Ganymede orbits the
Page 145 and 146: 17. a. Volcanism. b. It shows a som
Page 147 and 148: Properties of the Major Satellites*
Page 149 and 150: The surface of Enceladus can be div
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Page 153 and 154: Figure 13.1.b. Geological sketch ma
Page 155 and 156: A Figure 13.3. The surface of Rhea,
Page 157 and 158: Exercise Fourteen Planets in Stereo
Page 159 and 160: Exercise Fourteen: Planets in Stere
Page 161 and 162: 9. Examine the stereo images of Fig
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Page 169 and 170: 25 km Figure 14.10. The icy uranian
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Page 175 and 176: 3. What is the age relation between
Page 177 and 178: Figure 15.1. Sample geologic map an
Page 179 and 180: Figure 15.3. Apollo 15 photograph o
Page 181 and 182: Part A 1. Contacts are sharp; trans
Page 183 and 184: Geologic History Youngest Youngest
Page 185 and 186: Exercise Sixteen Purpose Through ob
Page 187 and 188: To establish age relations and inte
Page 191 and 192: Figure 16.3. Diagram of typical imp
Page 193 and 194: Exercise Sixteen: Photogeologic Map
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Page 201 and 202: Answer Key Map after 1) Scott et al
Page 203 and 204: Exercise Seventeen Purpose Through
Page 207 and 208: Geologic History: Youngest Oldest E
Page 209 and 210: Erosion: Process whereby materials
Page 211 and 212: Terrain: A region of a surface shar
Page 213 and 214: Cattermole, P. (1994). Venus: The G
Page 215 and 216: Object Moon Moon Moon Moon Moon Moo
Page 217 and 218: Object Jupiter Jupiter Jupiter Jupi
Page 219 and 220: 1.6 Regional Planetary Image Facili
Page 221 and 222: 2. Map Link 25 Eat Mason Santa Barb
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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMI
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