ASTRO 1345 CH. 9 ACTUAL
QUESTIONS 2026 WITH VERIFIED
ANSWERS.
How do we know the volcanism is still possibly active on
Venus? - correct answer-Two pieces of indirect evidence
suggest that volcanic actvity continues today.
1st: the level of sulfur dioxide above Venus's clouds shows
large and fairly frequent fluctuations. This also explains that
volcanism may be the primary cause of Venus's thick cloud
cover.
2nd: Both the Pioneer Venus and the Venera orbiters observed
bursts of radio energy from Aphrodite and other regions of the
planet's surface. Similar to the lightening discharges that often
occur in the plumes of erupting volcanoes on Earth.
Most craters on Venus are volcanic craters. Are there any
impact craters? - correct answer-No. Cleopatra is one example
of a meteoric impact crater. Large impact craters are generally
circular but those less than about 15 km in diameter can be
asymmetric. Magellan image shows a 10km across impact
crater in Venus's southern hemisphere. Because of Venus's
dense atmosphere, medium-sized bodies often break into
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pieces and don't leave large impact craters. The largest known
crater is a 280km crater called Mead.
What causes most of the erosion on Venus? - correct answer-
Though erosion by the planet's atmosphere may play some
part, the main erosive agent on Venus is Volcanism which
appears to have resurfaced much of the planet roughly 500
million years ago.
Is volcanic activity associated with tectonic plates such as on
Earth? - correct answer-No. Although small-scale volcanoes
may still form and erupt from time to time, due to the fact that
there are no tectonic plates, pent up energy seems to be
released catastrophically every few hundred million years.
List the major differences between the atmospheres of Venus
and Earth. - correct answer--the atmosphere of venus is about
90 times more massive than earth's and it extends to a much
greater height above the surface
-On Earth, 90% of the atmosphere lies within about 10 km of
sea level
-on Venus, 90 % level is found at an altitude of 50 km instead
-the surface temperature and pressure of venus's atmosphere
are much greater than earth's