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ESS 101 EXAM 1 – Questions With Correct Solutions

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ESS 101 EXAM 1 – Questions With Correct Solutions

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Institution
ESS 101
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ESS 101

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Uploaded on
December 3, 2025
Number of pages
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Written in
2025/2026
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ESS 101 EXAM 1 – Questions With Correct Solutions

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1. supernova and formation of primordial dust cloud
2. condensation of primordial dust forms disk shaped
nebular cloud rotating counter-clockwise.
nebular hypothesis 3. proto sun and planets begin to form
4. accretion of planetesimals and differentiation of
planets and moons (4-6 billion years ago).
5. existing solar system takes shape.

1. Planets and moons revolve in a counter-clockwise
direction (not random)
2. almost all planets and moons rotate on their axis in a
counter-clockwise direction.
Evidence of nebular
3. planetary orbits are aligned along the suns equatorial
hypotheses
plane (not randomly organized)
4. observations from Hubble telescope and radio
astronomy indicate that other planetary systems are
forming from condensed nebular dust.

Close to the sun, dense, small/rocky, silicate minerals,
metallic cores
Terrestrial Planets

Twelve earths would fit across the diameter of Jupiter.

Far from the sun, low density, large, gaseous (hydrogen,
Jovian Planets
methane)

Why does the earth and Hydrogen gas and helium gas escapes to space when
terrestrial planets have so put in our atmosphere.
little molecular hydrogen Jupiter, saturn, and neptune maintain molecular
comprising their respective hydrogen gas in the atmosphere because they have
atmosphere, yet the high density.
primordial dust cloud was
mostly comprised of
hydrogen gas?

, 1. Iron Nickel Core (outer core liquid)
(inner core solid)
2. Fe-Mg silicate mantle
Differentiated Earth
3. Fe-Mg-Al Silicate Crust (Ocean and Continental)
4. Oceans
5. atmosphere

How is the earth Along a density gradient
compositionally zoned?

1. Accretion of planetesimals
2. initial heating due to kinetic energy of colliding
planetesimals and compressional heating.
3. additional heating from radioactive decay.
4. iron catastrophe: melting temp of iron reached and
dense iron nickel sink to core and lighter materials are
How did the earth become displaced outwards (including silicate rock of mantle
compositionally zoned? and crust, ocean waters and atmospheric gases)
5. earth becomes compositionally zoned based on
density (densest iron nickel in core-least dense
materials comprise the atmosphere) 500 mil yrs after the
initial accretion process.
6. convective overturn in asthenosphere, mantle and
outer core still occur today.

When earth was solid-heat gain was greater than the
heat lost to space. This means that the internal
temperature rises until it exceeded the melting temp of
Why did the earth heat up
oxygen and nitrogen until exceeded iron nickel
and then rapidly cool
catastrophe. Earth is completely molten and then
during the differentiation
compositionally zoned.
process?
When earth was liquid- convection-hot gas rises , after
it became molten, the earth rapidly cooled off and
solidified.

Why does earth possess Because of weathering, plate tectonics, moon has no
little evidence of its early atmosphere and biosphere.
accretion history?

Emissions from degassing h2o, co2, h2, he, n2
of the earth during its
differentiation.

Where did molecular H and space
He escape to?

, later following evolution of marine algae and plants that
When did oxygenation of
use photosynthesis to convert co2 to o2 as a part of
the atmosphere occur?
their life processes.

What layers of the earth crust and uppermost mantle.
can be directly observed?

Evidence of initial 1. Metallic meteorites (iron nickel density 9.0-10 gm/cm3)
composition of the solid 2. chondritic meteorites: Fe-Mg silicate, rocky, density is
earth based on meteorite 3.0-3.3)
studies. There are two 3. carbonaceous chondrites (rare)
major classes of meteorites
that dominate collected
samples. Carbon based
meteorites are much rarer,
but indicate that the
prescursor of life was
present early on.

What is earths average 5.5 g/cm3
density?

How can average density Based on gravitational properties and its effect on
of earth be inferred? known masses such as orbiting satellites.

Density of earths crust? 2.6-3 g/cm3

density of uppermost 3.0-3.3 g/cm3
mantle?

Based on the density Density must be higher than the average.
information, what can you
infer about the density of
the lower mantle and the
earths core?

What does the presence of Earth is likely to possess a metallic core and that a
the Earth's magnetic field component of this core must be liquid and convecting
provide evidence for? around the solid metallic portion of the core.

Seismic waves s and p waves

Compression waves, velocity: 6-7 km/sec within
P waves
lithosphere, propagate through all phases of matter.

Shear waves, 3-4 km/sec, only propagate through solid
S waves phases of matter, not liquids or gases, require rigid
substance (solid) to propagate.

, because of velocity changes related to density changes
Seismic waves refract
within the earth. seismic wave accelerate with increasing
because
density.

bagel shaped, exist between 105-140 degrees from the
epicenter due to refraction at outer core mantle
P wave shadow zone
boundary.
no p or s waves.

only one large shadow zone at an angle greater than
105 degrees of the epicenter. due to refraction at outer
s wave shadow zone
core mantle boundary and because s waves are
absorbed by the liquid outer core.

When does seismic wave at depth of 100-350 km and at the mantle-core
velocity decrease? boundary. (low velocity zone)

When are s waves only at the mantle-core boundary.
absorbed?

What does the s wave It is partially melted.
being absorbed only at the
mantle core boundary tell
you about the physical
property of the upper
mantle?

lithosphere continental, ocean crust, and uppermost solid mantle

Asthenosphere upper ductile mantle

100-350 km, in the upper mantle that is due to
Low velocity zone
decreasing density. defines the asthenosphere.

Why does the density Because it is undergoing partial melting and has
decrease in the region of reached its pressure melting temperature.
the upper mantle?

lithosphere "floats" on a partially melted asthenosphere,
Isostatic equilibrium similar to a raft floating on water. The lithosphere is in
isostatic equilibrium with the asthenosphere.

Does the thin, dense, ocean The ocean lithosphere floats lower than the continental
lithosphere float lower or lithosphere which is less dense (2.6 g/cm3) and thicker
higher than the continental (40-70km).
lithosphere?

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