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Planetary Geology (Part of Chapter 9): General Processes Affecting the Terrestrial Planets (And the Moon)
Planetary Geology (part of Chapter 9): General Processes Affecting the Terrestrial Planets (and the Moon) Many geological features on planetary surfaces are shaped by processes within the planet’s interior. The interior of a terrestrial world is divided into three layers of differing densities and chemical compositions: core of high-density metal, mantle of moderate- density rock, and crust of low-density rock. Although we see molten rock (lava) coming out of the Earth, only a thin layer near the top of the mantle is partially molten. However, the solid rock within planets can flow like a liquid over periods of millions of years at speeds of around 1 cm per year. The crust and very top part of the mantle do not deform or flow easily, they are called the lithosphere. The thickness of a planet’s lithosphere affects how easily it can be fractured and rearranged into mountains and valleys, and how easily lava can be erupted onto the surface. Interior heat causes geological activity. Terrestrial worlds were heated during their formation due to accretion and differentiation, and are still heated today by radioactive decay. They are slowly cooling down, with heat moving up through the mantle by convection, up through the crust by conduction, and radiating out to space. Larger planets retain heat for longer than smaller planets, so larger planets are more geologically active. If a rapidly-rotating planet contains a layer of electrically conducting fluid, such as a liquid metal core, then it will have a magnetic field. This magnetic field can protect its atmosphere from the solar wind. -
The Science Behind Volcanoes
The Science Behind Volcanoes A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or crust, which allows hot magma, volcanic ash and gases to escape from the magma chamber below the surface. Volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging. A mid-oceanic ridge, for example the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has examples of volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates pulling apart; the Pacific Ring of Fire has examples of volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates coming together. By contrast, volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another. Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the Earth's crust in the interiors of plates, e.g., in the East African Rift, the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field and the Rio Grande Rift in North America. This type of volcanism falls under the umbrella of "Plate hypothesis" volcanism. Volcanism away from plate boundaries has also been explained as mantle plumes. These so- called "hotspots", for example Hawaii, are postulated to arise from upwelling diapirs with magma from the core–mantle boundary, 3,000 km deep in the Earth. Erupting volcanoes can pose many hazards, not only in the immediate vicinity of the eruption. Volcanic ash can be a threat to aircraft, in particular those with jet engines where ash particles can be melted by the high operating temperature. Large eruptions can affect temperature as ash and droplets of sulfuric acid obscure the sun and cool the Earth's lower atmosphere or troposphere; however, they also absorb heat radiated up from the Earth, thereby warming the stratosphere. -
Planetary Geology GEOLOGY 307 Spring 2018 Tuesday & Thursday 9:30 -10:50 A.M
Planetary Geology GEOLOGY 307 Spring 2018 Tuesday & Thursday 9:30 -10:50 a.m. C. M. Bailey Office- McStreet Hall 215 x12445 [email protected] Preamble Space, the Final Frontier! Although the Earth provides a rich tapestry for geologists, other planetary bodies in our Solar System are equally worthy of study. Many of the same processes that operate on Earth modify these worlds, but each planet is unique in many respects. Planetary bodies also contain a record of the solar system’s history. The goals of this course include a better understanding of the processes that operate on distant worlds, gaining insight into how the Solar System has changed through time, and thinking about the future opportunties in planetary science. This class will not simply be a tour of the planets, nor will it attempt to answer all the questions normally dealt with in Astronomy and Cosmology courses. We will start from observations and use a judicious amount of mathematics, physics, and chemistry to achieve our goals. At semester’s end we hope you will have developed an understanding of the Solar System, a sense for the new and exciting discoveries in planetary science, as well as an appreciation of the important questions still to be answered. Week Dates Topic Readings 1 Jan. 18 Planetary Geology Introduced WHOOPS! Ch. 1 2 Jan. 23, 25 Planetary Geology Introduced Ch. 1 The Universe: matter, stars, planets, and life- oh my! 3 Jan. 30, Feb. 1 Celestial Mechanics Ch. 2 Ch. 5, pg. 64-67 4 Feb. 6, 8 Solar System Formation Meteorites are Mighty Important 5 Feb. -
Mars Field Geology, Biology, and Paleontology Workshop, Summary
MARS FIELD GEOLOGY, BIOLOGY, AND PALEONTOLOGY WORKSHOP: SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS November 18–19, 1998 Space Center Houston, Houston, Texas LPI Contribution No. 968 MARS FIELD GEOLOGY, BIOLOGY, AND PALEONTOLOGY WORKSHOP: SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS November 18–19, 1998 Space Center Houston Edited by Nancy Ann Budden Lunar and Planetary Institute Sponsored by Lunar and Planetary Institute National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lunar and Planetary Institute 3600 Bay Area Boulevard Houston TX 77058-1113 LPI Contribution No. 968 Compiled in 1999 by LUNAR AND PLANETARY INSTITUTE The Institute is operated by the Universities Space Research Association under Contract No. NASW-4574 with the National Aeronautcis and Space Administration. Material in this volume may be copied without restraint for library, abstract service, education, or personal research purposes; however, republication of any paper or portion thereof requires the written permission of the authors as well as the appropriate acknowledgment of this publication. This volume may be cited as Budden N. A., ed. (1999) Mars Field Geology, Biology, and Paleontology Workshop: Summary and Recommendations. LPI Contribution No. 968, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston. 80 pp. This volume is distributed by ORDER DEPARTMENT Lunar and Planetary Institute 3600 Bay Area Boulevard Houston TX 77058-1113 Phone: 281-486-2172 Fax: 281-486-2186 E-mail: [email protected] Mail order requestors will be invoiced for the cost of shipping and handling. _________________ Cover: Mars test suit subject and field geologist Dean Eppler overlooking Meteor Crater, Arizona, in Mark III Mars EVA suit. PREFACE In November 1998 the Lunar and Planetary Institute, under the sponsorship of the NASA/HEDS (Human Exploration and Development of Space) Enterprise, held a workshop to explore the objectives, desired capabilities, and operational requirements for the first human exploration of Mars. -
Burlington House Fire Safety Information
William Smith Meeting 2015 (Part 2) 5 November 2015 200 Years and Beyond: The future of geological mapping Contents Page 2 Acknowledgements Page 3 Conference Programme Page 5 Speaker Biographies and Abstracts Page 29 Poster Abstracts Page 40 Burlington House Fire Safety Information Page 41 Ground Floor Plan of the Geological Society, Burlington House @geolsoc #wsmith15 #williamsmith200 Page 1 William Smith Meeting 2015 (Part 2) 5 November 2015 200 Years and Beyond: The future of geological mapping WELCOME FROM THE CONVENORS In 1815 William Smith published the first edition of his Geological Map of England and Wales. Smith’s map made a seminal contribution to the understanding of the ground beneath our feet and, by showing the location of coal, iron ore, clays and other raw materials, helped fuel the industrial revolution. Two hundred years on, the demands for spatial knowledge about our geological environment and its resources and hazards have become ever more diverse and pressing. Nevertheless, many of the motivators, approaches and principles pioneered by William Smith survive in the geological maps, models and information systems of today. The History of Geology Group and the British Geological Survey have worked together to convene two William Smith meetings at the Geological Society in 2015 to celebrate this landmark anniversary. The first, very successful meeting in April 2015, convened by HOGG, chronicled the history and development of the geological map from its earliest beginnings to the digital maps of today. This second meeting, convened by the BGS, looks to the future of geological mapping, and to the grand challenges for geoscience that will motivate the ‘William Smiths’ of tomorrow. -
Field Guides
Downloaded from fieldguides.gsapubs.org on June 1, 2012 Field Guides The post-Mazama northwest rift zone eruption at Newberry Volcano, Oregon Daniele Mckay, Julie M. Donnelly-Nolan, Robert A. Jensen and Duane E. Champion Field Guides 2009;15;91-110 doi: 10.1130/2009.fld015(05) Email alerting services click www.gsapubs.org/cgi/alerts to receive free e-mail alerts when new articles cite this article Subscribe click www.gsapubs.org/subscriptions/ to subscribe to Field Guides Permission request click http://www.geosociety.org/pubs/copyrt.htm#gsa to contact GSA Copyright not claimed on content prepared wholly by U.S. government employees within scope of their employment. Individual scientists are hereby granted permission, without fees or further requests to GSA, to use a single figure, a single table, and/or a brief paragraph of text in subsequent works and to make unlimited copies of items in GSA's journals for noncommercial use in classrooms to further education and science. This file may not be posted to any Web site, but authors may post the abstracts only of their articles on their own or their organization's Web site providing the posting includes a reference to the article's full citation. GSA provides this and other forums for the presentation of diverse opinions and positions by scientists worldwide, regardless of their race, citizenship, gender, religion, or political viewpoint. Opinions presented in this publication do not reflect official positions of the Society. Notes © 2009 Geological Society of America Downloaded from fieldguides.gsapubs.org on June 1, 2012 The Geological Society of America Field Guide 15 2009 The post-Mazama northwest rift zone eruption at Newberry Volcano, Oregon Daniele Mckay* Department of Geological Sciences, 1272 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-1272, USA Julie M. -
Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences 1
Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences 1 MATH 0090 Introductory Calculus, Part I (or higher) Earth, Environmental PHYS 0050 Foundations of Mechanics (or higher) Nine Concentration courses and Planetary Sciences EEPS 0220 Earth Processes 1 EEPS 0230 Geochemistry: Earth and Planetary 1 Materials and Processes Chair EEPS 0240 Earth: Evolution of a Habitable Planet 1 Greg Hirth Select three of the following: 3 Students in Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences develop a EEPS 1240 Stratigraphy and Sedimentation comprehensive grasp of principles as well as an ability to think critically EEPS 1410 Mineralogy and creatively. Formal instruction places an emphasis on fundamental EEPS 1420 Petrology principles, processes, and recent developments, using lecture, seminar, EEPS 1450 Structural Geology laboratory, colloquium, and field trip formats. Undergraduates as well as graduate students have opportunities to carry out research in current fields Two additional upper level EEPS courses or an approved 2 of interest. substitute such as a field course One additional upper level science or math course with approval 1 The principal research fields of the department are geochemistry, from the concentration advisor. mineral physics, igneous petrology; geophysics, structural geology, tectonophysics; environmental science, hydrology; paleoceanography, Total Credits 13 paleoclimatology, sedimentology; and planetary geosciences. Emphasis in these different areas varies, but includes experimental, theoretical, and Standard program for the Sc.B. degree observational approaches as well as applications to field problems. Field This program is recommended for students interested in graduate study studies of specific problems are encouraged rather than field mapping for and careers in the geosciences and related fields. its own sake. Interdisciplinary study with other departments and divisions is encouraged. -
GEOLOGY THEME STUDY Page 1
NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS Dr. Harry A. Butowsky GEOLOGY THEME STUDY Page 1 Geology National Historic Landmark Theme Study (Draft 1990) Introduction by Dr. Harry A. Butowsky Historian, History Division National Park Service, Washington, DC The Geology National Historic Landmark Theme Study represents the second phase of the National Park Service's thematic study of the history of American science. Phase one of this study, Astronomy and Astrophysics: A National Historic Landmark Theme Study was completed in l989. Subsequent phases of the science theme study will include the disciplines of biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics and other related sciences. The Science Theme Study is being completed by the National Historic Landmarks Survey of the National Park Service in compliance with the requirements of the Historic Sites Act of l935. The Historic Sites Act established "a national policy to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings and objects of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of the American people." Under the terms of the Act, the service is required to survey, study, protect, preserve, maintain, or operate nationally significant historic buildings, sites & objects. The National Historic Landmarks Survey of the National Park Service is charged with the responsibility of identifying America's nationally significant historic property. The survey meets this obligation through a comprehensive process involving thematic study of the facets of American History. In recent years, the survey has completed National Historic Landmark theme studies on topics as diverse as the American space program, World War II in the Pacific, the US Constitution, recreation in the United States and architecture in the National Parks. -
Chapter 4 Alaska's Volcanic Landforms and Features
Chapter 4 Alaska's Volcanic Landforms and Features Resources • Alaska Volcano Observatory website. (Available at http://www.avo.alaska.edu.) • Brantley, S.R., 1999, Volcanoes of the United States: U.S. Geological Survey General Interest Publication. (Available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volcus/index.html.) • Miller, T.P., McGimsey, R.G., Richter, D.H., Riehle, J.R., Nye, C.J., Yount, M.E., and Dumoulin, J.A., 1998, Catalog of the historically active volcanoes of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 98-0582, 104 p. (Also available at http://www.avo.alaska.edu/downloads/classresults.php?citid=645.) • Nye, C.J., and others, 1998, Volcanoes of Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Information Circular IC 0038, accessed June 1, 2010, at . PDF Front (6.4 MB) http://www.dggs.dnr.state.ak.us/webpubs/dggs/ic/oversized/ic038_sh001.PDF and . PDF Back (6.6 MB) http://www.dggs.dnr.state.ak.us/webpubs/dggs/ic/oversized/ic038_sh002.PDF. • Smithsonian Institution, [n.d.], Global volcanism program—Augustine: Smithsonian Institution web page, accessed June 1, 2010, at http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1103-01- &volpage=photos&phoyo=026071. • Tilling, R.I., 1997, Volcanoes—On-line edition: U.S. Geological Survey General Interest Product. (Available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volc/.) • U.S. Geological Survey, 1997 [2007], Volcanoes teacher’s guide: U.S. Geological Survey website. (Available at http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/teachers- packets/volcanoes/. • U.S. Geological Survey, 2010, Volcano Hazards Program—USGS photo glossary of volcanic terms: U.S. -
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Geologic Resources Inventory Report
National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2015/972 ON THIS PAGE An opening in an ice-fringed sea cave reveals ice flows on Lake Superior. Photograph by Neil Howk (National Park Service) taken in winter 2008. ON THE COVER Wind and associated wave activity created a window in Devils Island Sandstone at Devils Island. Photograph by Trista L. Thornberry-Ehrlich (Colorado State University) taken in summer 2010. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2015/972 Trista L. Thornberry-Ehrlich Colorado State University Research Associate National Park Service Geologic Resources Division Geologic Resources Inventory PO Box 25287 Denver, CO 80225 May 2015 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate comprehensive information and analysis about natural resources and related topics concerning lands managed by the National Park Service. The series supports the advancement of science, informed decision-making, and the achievement of the National Park Service mission. The series also provides a forum for presenting more lengthy results that may not be accepted by publications with page limitations. -
A Geomorphic Classification System
A Geomorphic Classification System U.S.D.A. Forest Service Geomorphology Working Group Haskins, Donald M.1, Correll, Cynthia S.2, Foster, Richard A.3, Chatoian, John M.4, Fincher, James M.5, Strenger, Steven 6, Keys, James E. Jr.7, Maxwell, James R.8 and King, Thomas 9 February 1998 Version 1.4 1 Forest Geologist, Shasta-Trinity National Forests, Pacific Southwest Region, Redding, CA; 2 Soil Scientist, Range Staff, Washington Office, Prineville, OR; 3 Area Soil Scientist, Chatham Area, Tongass National Forest, Alaska Region, Sitka, AK; 4 Regional Geologist, Pacific Southwest Region, San Francisco, CA; 5 Integrated Resource Inventory Program Manager, Alaska Region, Juneau, AK; 6 Supervisory Soil Scientist, Southwest Region, Albuquerque, NM; 7 Interagency Liaison for Washington Office ECOMAP Group, Southern Region, Atlanta, GA; 8 Water Program Leader, Rocky Mountain Region, Golden, CO; and 9 Geology Program Manager, Washington Office, Washington, DC. A Geomorphic Classification System 1 Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 5 I. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 6 History of Classification Efforts in the Forest Service ............................................................... 6 History of Development .............................................................................................................. 7 Goals -
Chapter 9 Planetary Geology: Agenda Ad Hoc Rover Update
Chapter 9 Planetary Geology: Agenda Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds • Announce: – Part 2 of Projects due – Read Ch. 11 for Tuesday • Ad hoc, ex post facto • Rover Update • Ch. 9—Planetary Geology • Lab: Parallax or Waves on a String Rover Update Ad Hoc • More than 1000 Martian days • From Wikipedia: – Ad hoc is a Latin phrase which means "for this [purpose]." It generally signifies a solution that has been designed for a specific problem, is non-generalizable and can not be adapted to other purposes. – Ex post facto : from the Latin for "from something done afterward" 1 9.1 Connecting Planetary Interiors and What are terrestrial planets like Surfaces on the inside? • Our goals for learning • What are terrestrial planets like on the inside? • What causes geological activity? • Why do some planetary interiors create magnetic fields? Seismic Waves Earth’s Interior • Vibrations • Core: Highest that travel density; nickel through and iron Earth’s • Mantle: Moderate interior tell us density; silicon, what Earth is oxygen, etc. like on the • Crust: Lowest inside density; granite, basalt, etc. Terrestrial Planet Interiors Differentiation • Gravity pulls high-density material to center • Lower-density material rises to surface • Material ends up • Applying what we have learned about Earth’s separated by interior to other planets tells us what their interiors density are probably like 2 Lithosphere Strength of Rock • A planet’s outer • Rock stretches when layer of cool, rigid pulled slowly but rock is called the breaks when pulled lithosphere