AST 111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Lunar Mare, Dead Moon, Abrasive Blasting

• School: Tunxis Community College
• Department: Astronomy
• Course: AST 111
• Professor: Reynolds

Document Summary

Likely created as a result of an impact on earth. Geologically dead, only source of change is sandblasting by micrometeorites. Lunar maria: smooth dark regions of the moon, sites of large impact that were. Very large iron core, though that outer layers were once present but were blasted away from a huge impact. The planet shrunk a long time ago, leaving behind long, steep cliffs. Extremely thin atmosphere and a weak greenhouse effect. No recent geological activity but it is not yet geologically dead. Evidence suggests warm and wet past: large volcanoes. Mars has had active volcanism in the past, and its surface is dotted with numerous. Evidence of ancient water flows from dried up riverbeds, erosion from rain, and. Cause of change: lost its atmospheric carbon dioxide to space, and the planet froze over minerals. Rotates in the opposite direction of all the planets, likely due to an impact.