Earths Interior Review

One reason the Earth is hot inside is because of “heat of formation.” What is the other source of earth’s internal heat?

• Sunlight

• Cosmic rays

• Motion from the Moon

• Radioactive decay

The baby Earth was bombarded by meteorites, small planets, and comets for millions of years. How did that affect its temperature?

• Earth warmed up

• Earth cooled off

• Earth was unaffected

• Earth was shattered into cooler pieces

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What process occurs when an unstable molecule gives off heat (and transforms into a stable molecule).

• Heat of formation

• radioactive decay

• Cosmic Background Radiation

• Big Bang Theory

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If Earth has been cooling since its formation, why is it still very hot inside?

• Heat of formation is still happening

• Radioactive decay is releasing heat within the Earth

• Earth is still being bombarded by meteorites

• The Sun is the source of heat inside our Earth

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

The crust, mantle, and core are layers of the Earth that are separated because they each have different…

• Convection currents

• Heat flow

• Chemical composition (make up)

• Physical properties (interactions)

How do earthquake (seismic) waves allow scientists to determine the composition of Earth layers?

• The waves are blocked, showing the layers are solids.

• The waves are shortened, showing the layers are made of the same material.

• The waves are lengthened, showing that the mantle is made of water and salt.

• The waves are traveling at different speeds, showing the layers have different compositions.

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Why must scientists infer the composition of Earth’s core? (In other words, why do scientists have to guess what the core is made of?)

• The layers vary from one part of Earth to another.

• Scientists cannot agree on the layers of Earth.

• They cannot gather samples from the innermost layer.

• Scientists are too lazy to find out the actual answer.

Why would the composition of a meteorite resemble the Earth’s interior?

• All meteorites were once part of Earth that exploded into space.

• They were both formed from the same materials, out of the same atoms.

• All materials from space are made of oxygen.

• Traveling through the atmosphere alters the meteorite so that it looks like Earth.

How are Earth’s lithosphere and asthenosphere different from one another?

• The lithosphere does not allow seismic waves to travel through.

• They were formed during different time periods.

• They have different chemical composition (one is silica, the other is iron)

• They have different physical properties (one is solid, the other is semi-solid)

Why are the properties of the asthenosphere important to plate tectonics theory?

• A semi-solid asthenosphere allows the plates to move.

• The plates are held in place by the asthenosphere.

• The depth of the asthenosphere gives plates room to sink.

• The properties show that plate tectonics must not be a correct theory.

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