Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
4th Edition
ISBN: 9780134089089
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Seth Shostak
Publisher: PEARSON
expand_more
expand_more
format_list_bulleted
Concept explainers
Textbook Question
Chapter 4, Problem 1RQ
Briefly describe three aspects of geology that are especially important to our existence.
Expert Solution & Answer
To determine
Three aspects of geology which are especially important to our existence
Answer to Problem 1RQ
Three important aspects of Earth’s geology are Volcanism, Plate tectonics, Earth’s magnetic Field.
Explanation of Solution
The three important aspects of Earth’s geology are as follows:
- Volcanism: - Volcanoes are very importance for the existence of earth. The gases released during volcanic activity get trapped in the earth’s interior during the formation of planet and these gases were the original source of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. Volcanoes also released lot of heat which has created chemical environment of earth and it may have helped in the origin of life in our planet.
- Plate tectonics: - The shape of the Earth surface is mainly due to the movement and recycling of the rock between surface and interior and this process is termed as plate tectonics. This process is responsible for gradually rearranging the continents. It is also responsible for the long term climate stability due to which life evolved and flourish for some 4 billion years
- Earth’s magnetic Field: -Interior of Earth has a magnetic field directed towards north which is generated deep inside the surface. Magnetic field also have some biological effects for example, some birds use it for migration purpose. The magnetic field acts as a shield which is holding up the earth’s atmosphere from energetic particles otherwise portion of the planet’s atmosphere must have gone into space.
Conclusion:
Thus, three important aspects of Earth’s geology are Volcanism, Plate tectonics, Earth’s magnetic Field.
Want to see more full solutions like this?
Subscribe now to access step-by-step solutions to millions of textbook problems written by subject matter experts!
Students have asked these similar questions
If the Atlantic seafloor is spreading at 2.9 cm/year and is now 6,350 km wide, how long ago (in years) were the continents in contact?
.......yr
How does that time span compare to the age of Earth? (Enter your answer as a fraction of Earth's age.)
Chapter 4 Solutions
Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
Ch. 4 - Briefly describe three aspects of geology that are...Ch. 4 - What do we mean by the geological record? Why is...Ch. 4 - Describe the three basic types of rock and the...Ch. 4 - How are sedimentary strata made, and how do they...Ch. 4 - Describe the technique of radiometric dating, and...Ch. 4 - How do fossils form? Do most living organisms...Ch. 4 - Summarize the geological time scale. What are...Ch. 4 - Prob. 8RQCh. 4 - Briefly describe how outgassing led to the origin...Ch. 4 - What was the heavy bombardment, and what effect...
Ch. 4 - Briefly describe Earths core-mantle-crust...Ch. 4 - Briefly describe the conveyorlike action of plate...Ch. 4 - Describe how plate tectonics shapes important...Ch. 4 - What evidence do we have for the operation of...Ch. 4 - What are the three requirements for a planetary...Ch. 4 - Briefly describe the mechanism by which the...Ch. 4 - What has happened to most of the carbon dioxide...Ch. 4 - What are ice ages, and what may cause them? What...Ch. 4 - Briefly summarize the key ways in which geology is...Ch. 4 - How do we think the Moon formed, and what evidence...Ch. 4 - We can expect that if there are paleontologists a...Ch. 4 - Nearly all the rocks I found in the lava fields of...Ch. 4 - Prob. 23TYUCh. 4 - Although Earth contains its densest material in...Ch. 4 - If you had a time machine that dropped you off on...Ch. 4 - If there were no plate tectonics on Earth, our...Ch. 4 - Without the greenhouse effect, there probably...Ch. 4 - If nitrogen were a greenhouse gas, our planet...Ch. 4 - We can learn a lot about Earths early history by...Ch. 4 - Prob. 30TYUCh. 4 - A rocks type (igneous, metamorphic, or...Ch. 4 - To learn a rocks age, we must (a) determine its...Ch. 4 - Radiometric dating now allows us to determine...Ch. 4 - Earths oceans formed (a) during the late stages of...Ch. 4 - We learn about the heavy bombardment by studying...Ch. 4 - Earth has retained a lot of internal heat...Ch. 4 - Plate tectonics is best described as a process...Ch. 4 - Earth has far less atmospheric carbon dioxide than...Ch. 4 - If Earth had more greenhouse gases in its...Ch. 4 - Snowball Earth refers to (a) one of a series of...Ch. 4 - The Age of Earth. Some people still question...Ch. 4 - Dating Planetary Surfaces. We have discussed two...Ch. 4 - Earth Without Differentiation. Suppose Earth had...Ch. 4 - Earth Without Plate Tectonics. Suppose plate...Ch. 4 - Feedback Processes in the Atmosphere. As the Sun...Ch. 4 - Geological Time. Geological time scales are often...Ch. 4 - Dating Lunar Rocks. You are analyzing Moon rocks...Ch. 4 - Carbon-14 Dating. The half-life of carbon-14 is...Ch. 4 - Martian Meteorite. Some unusual meteorites thought...Ch. 4 - Internal vs. External Heating. In daylight, Earths...Ch. 4 - Plate Tectonics. Typical motions of one plate...Ch. 4 - More Plate Tectonics. Consider a seafloor...Ch. 4 - Plate Tectonics and Us. Based on what you learned...
Additional Science Textbook Solutions
Find more solutions based on key concepts
The magnitude of the electric field produced by a charge.
Physics (5th Edition)
Using the definitions in Eqs. 1.1 and 1.4, and appropriate diagrams, show that the dot product and cross produc...
Introduction to Electrodynamics
A plank, fixed to a sled at rest in frame S, is of length L0 and makes an angle of 0 with the xaxis. Later, the...
Modern Physics
Two very large metal plates are placed 2.0 cm apart, with a potential difference of 12 V between them. Consider...
University Physics Volume 2
(a) If half of the weight of a small 1.00103 kg utility truck is supported by its two drive wheels, what is the...
College Physics
47. Air isn’t a perfect electric insulator, but it has a very high resistivity. Dry air has a resistivity of ap...
College Physics: A Strategic Approach (4th Edition)
Knowledge Booster
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- Describe an accurate method to measure the absolute motions of individual tectonic plates.arrow_forwardDescribe three ways in which the presence of life has affected the composition of Earth’s atmosphere.arrow_forwardIf you represent Earth’s history by a line 1 m long, how long a segment would represent the 400 million years since life moved onto the land? How long a segment would represent the 4-million-year history of human life?arrow_forward
- Are dinosaur footprints fossils?arrow_forwardDetail some of the anthropogenic changes to Earth’s climate and their potential impact on life.arrow_forwardDescribe how we use radioactive elements and their decay products to find the age of a rock sample. Is this necessarily the age of the entire world from which the sample comes? Explain.arrow_forward
arrow_back_ios
arrow_forward_ios
Recommended textbooks for you
- An Introduction to Physical SciencePhysicsISBN:9781305079137Author:James Shipman, Jerry D. Wilson, Charles A. Higgins, Omar TorresPublisher:Cengage LearningAstronomyPhysicsISBN:9781938168284Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. WolffPublisher:OpenStaxFoundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399920Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage Learning
- Horizons: Exploring the Universe (MindTap Course ...PhysicsISBN:9781305960961Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage Learning
An Introduction to Physical Science
Physics
ISBN:9781305079137
Author:James Shipman, Jerry D. Wilson, Charles A. Higgins, Omar Torres
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Astronomy
Physics
ISBN:9781938168284
Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher:OpenStax
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:9781337399920
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Horizons: Exploring the Universe (MindTap Course ...
Physics
ISBN:9781305960961
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning
General Relativity: The Curvature of Spacetime; Author: Professor Dave Explains;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7V3koyL7Mc;License: Standard YouTube License, CC-BY