NATS 1740 Chapter Notes -Impact Crater, Lunar Mare, Plate Tectonics

• School: York University
• Department: Natural Science
• Course: NATS 1740
• Professor: Randy Hoffman

Document Summary

Surfaces of the 5 terrestrial planets all looked similar when they were young. All 5 made of rocky material that condensed in the solar nebula. All 5 were impacted on by objects. Covered in craters except in areas with volcanoes. Covered in thick atmosphere with clouds that hide its surface from view. Core: highest density material consisting of metals like sickle, iron. Mantle: rocky material of moderate density (mostly minerals) Crust: lowest density rock such as granite and basalt. Lithosphere: outer layer of cool rigid rock. Differentiation: results in layers made of different materials. Earth and the other terrestrial worlds were once hot enough inside for their interiors to melt, allowing material to settle into layers of differing density. Convection: process which hot material expands and rises while cooler material contracts and falls. Larger planets retain internal heat much longer than smaller ones and this heat drives geological activity.