Formation of the Solar System Quiz

Formation of the Solar System

• A nebula, which is a giant cloud of gas and dust in space, collapses due to gravity, potentially caused by a supernova or a passing star.
• The collapse leads to a smaller radius and faster spin, resulting in a protoplanetary disk, a rotating disk of dense gas around a newborn star.
• Planetesimals form within the disk, which are small celestial bodies that collide and fuse to form planets.
• Terrestrial planets, closer to the Sun, have higher metallic and silicate compounds (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars).
• Jovian planets, further from the Sun, allow gas to condense due to lower temperatures (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune).

Drawbacks of the Nebular Theory

• Particles surrounding Saturn repel each other.
• It does not follow the law of angular momentum.
• It does not explain the clockwise rotation of Uranus and Venus.

Encounter Theory

• Planets are formed from material ejected from the Sun during an encounter with a celestial object.
• Proposed by Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin and Forest Ray Moulton.
• Not accepted today as hot materials from the Sun expand and dissipate instead of contracting.

Earth System Science

• Studies Earth as an integrated system, seeking to understand its past, present, and future states.
• Interdisciplinary field that integrates different scientific fields.
• Prominent scientists include Vladimir Vernadsky, Alexander Von Humboldt, James Hutton, James Lovelock, and Lynn Margulis.

Significant Concepts

• Noosphere: Sphere of human consciousness and reason.
• Gaia Hypothesis: Earth works as a self-regulating system where all organisms and habitats are closely integrated.
• Uniformitarianism: Geological forces in the past are the same as those in the present, allowing scientists to determine Earth’s history by studying rocks.

Earth's Composition

• Lithosphere: Comprised of the Earth's crust and uppermost mantle, forming a rigid, hard outer layer. Divided into tectonic plates.
• Asthenosphere: The layer directly below the Lithosphere, hot enough to flow minimally and allowing the movement of tectonic plates above.
• Lower Mantle: Hotter and denser than the Asthenosphere but remains solid due to immense pressure.
• Core: Composed mainly of iron and nickel, divided into two layers: outer and inner core, separated by the "Bullen discontinuity."

Earth Subsystems

• Hydrosphere: Includes all water on Earth in any form: water vapor, liquid water, and ice. Consists of 97.5% saline water and 2.5% freshwater.
• Biosphere: Comprises all living organisms on Earth, including microbes, plants, animals, insects, birds, and marine organisms.
• Atmosphere: The outermost layer of Earth, composed mainly of nitrogen and oxygen. Trace gasses, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone, absorb and emit radiation.

Earth's Climate System

• Weather: The fluctuating state of the atmosphere over a short period of time. Influenced by factors like temperature, wind, precipitation, and cloud types.
• Climate: The average weather over a certain period and area. Varies depending on latitude, distance from bodies of water, and geography.
• Earth's Subsystems: The atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere interact to form the Earth's climate system.

Biomes

• Communities where organisms interact with each other and the physical environment.
• Examples include deserts, tropical rainforests, swamps, and coral reefs.