ASTR 1010 Homework 7
1. How do geologists use earthquakes to obtain information about Earth’s interior?
2. Compare and contrast P-waves and S-waves, and explain how they are useful to geologists.
3. What is the greenhouse effect, and what effect does it have on Earth’s surface temperature?
4. Give the reason geologists think that part of Earth’s core is liquid.
5. What clue to our planet’s history does Earth’s differentiation provide?
6. What process is responsible for the surface mountains, oceanic trenches, and other large-scale features on Earth’s surface?
7. Is the greenhouse effect operating in Earth’s atmosphere helpful or harmful? Give examples. What are the consequences of an enhanced greenhouse effect?
8. The oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere is the result of the appearance of life on our planet. (TRUE/FALSE)
9. Sunlight is absorbed by Earth’s surface and then reemitted in the form of ultraviolet radiation. (TRUE/FALSE)
10. Geologists obtain most of their information about Earth’s mantle by drilling into our planet’s interior. (TRUE/FALSE)
11. When plates collide, they simply come to rest and fuse together. (TRUE/FALSE)
12. Earth’s average density is about the same as that of (a) a glass of water; (b) a heavy iron meteorite; (c) an ice cube; (d) a chunk of black volcanic rock.
13. If there were significantly more greenhouse gases, such as CO2, in Earth’s atmosphere, then (a) the ozone hole would close; (b) the ozone hole would get larger; (c) Earth’s average temperature would change; (d) plants would grow faster than animals could eat them.
14. The deepest that geologists have drilled into Earth is about the same as (a) the height of the Statue of Liberty; (b) the altitude most commercial jet airplanes fly; (c) the distance between New York and Los Angeles; (d) the distance between the United States and China.