\" Facebook e) -NUTN Essay 1- The Absolute Ages of Surfaces In the frst half of

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" Facebook e) -NUTN Essay 1- The Absolute Ages of Surfaces In the frst half of the course you learned that we can determine the absolute ages of the terrestrial worlds surfaces by comparing them to the surfaces of the Earth's Moon. First, start by explaining (1) why this is possible, and then (2) briefly describe the procedure for determining the absolute age of a mare surface on Mars. You learned in the second half of the course that the procedure you just explained is no longer valid - that we can no longer use the Earth's Moon to determine the absolute ages of worlds beyond the Snow Line. (3) Explain why this is the case and then (4) discuss what we can determine about the ages of surfaces beyond the Snow Line. Essay 2 - Meteorites and the Asteroid Çonnection Meteorites are samples of worlds we have never visited in the Solar System. They tell us a lot about asteroids for sure, but also a lot about the properties of the Solar System itself, not the least of which is the Solar System's age. (1) What is the age of the Solar System and (2) how did we obtain this information from meteorites? You also learned that one of the main sub- classes of meteorites that you were introduced to is quite (the most) common. (3) Name and describe the properties of this meteorite class and then (4) explain what this particular class of meteorites tells us about most asteroids. Finally, (5) what do the remaining meteorite classes tell us about the rest of the asteroids in the Asteroid Belt? Essay 3 -Geologic Activity Scales with Size...Except when it Doesn't In the first half of the course you were introduced to a major course theme 'geologic activity scales with size:- In the second half of the course you were introduced to Jupiter's closest satellite, lo. A rocky world rich in sulfur, a world smaller than the Earth's Moon, and a world that is the most geologically active object in the Solar System. If our main course theme, 'seologic activity scales with size, is true, then how can a rocky world, smaller than the Earth's geologically dead Moon be so geologically active? (1) Describe in detail the mechanism that is driving the geologic activity on this world and (2) explain why this same mechanism is not at work in the Earth-Moon system? The Orizin and End of the Solar System

Explanation / Answer

Essay 2 : Meteoroid and The Asteroid Connection

Our solar system is composed of myriads of Celestial bodies. Out of these, the Asteroids and Meteroids are the most intriguing. Asteroids are those celestial bodies that revolve around the sun. They are millions in number and greatly vary in their shapes and sizes. Some like the Pallas and the Vesta are more than 500 km along the ir longitudinal axes. Ceres is so big that it is now officially called as a Dwarf planet and not an asteroid anymore. While there exist these giant of Asteroids, many others also exist that are smaller than the size of a passenger car.

The Asteroids revolve in a defined orbit between the planets of Mars and Jupiter. Some of these bodies get dislocated from their orbits and find their way towards Earth. Those asteroids that break the atmospheric barrier of the earth and make a landing on its surface are known as meteorites. A meteorite may range in size from less than a gram to more than 10 tons.

Meteorites are of three main types 1) Iron meteorites, 2) Stony meteorites and 3) Stony-irons. Iron meteorites as the name suggest are made of Iron. They are very dense and heavy. These were once a part of the core of a planet that was destroyed and gave rise to the Asteroid belt. Their compositiion is similar to that of Earth's Core. They are far heavier than the rocks on the surface of the earth. Their composition is approximately 90 to 95% Iron with the remainder comprising of nickel and trace elements. Iron meteorites are further classified iinto kamacite and Taenite. This classification is based on its Structure. kamacite and taenite are actually Iron and Nickel alloys. They form a complex inter-locking pattern known as the Widmanstätten Pattern, after Count Alois von Beckh Widmanstätten.

Stony-Iron meteorites are the least abundant on Earth. Barely 2% of all the meteorite finds are stony-irons. They are formed of equal amounts of Iron and Nickel. They are subdivided into Pallasites and Siderites. They are thought to be formed from the mantle part of the destroyed planet. Pallasites contain beautiful crystals of Olivine and hence form a Collectors’ item. The mantle part of Earth also boasts of a region rich in Olivine. This is another similarity of a Meteorite with different parts of the Earth.

Stone Meteorites on the other hand once formed the part of the Outer crust of the destroyed planet. These are the most widespread of meteorites found on the surface of the Earth. They almost look like terrestrial rocks. A trained eye is required to find them efficiently. Some stone meteorites contain small, colorful, grain-like inclusions known as "chondrules." These meteorites with Chondrules are known as Chondrites and those without Chondrules are known as Achondrites. These were originated in the solar nebula during the formation of our solar system. They pre-date the formation of our planet and the rest of the solar system. Hence stone meteorites are used for dating the Solar System. The Rubidium Strontium Dating method is utilized for this process. This technique has given the age of the solar system as 4.7 +- 2 bya.

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