Deck 14: Impacts and Extinctions

Question 1

What is the significance of the Tunguska River Valley in Siberia in terms of asteroids?

A) It is where the largest comet was sighted.
B) It is where a large airburst of an asteroid occurred in recent history.
C) It is the site of a crater that marks the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.
D) It is the site of the largest impact crater ever recorded on Earth.
E) It is a site of enormous wildfires in prehistoric times.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following describes a meteoroid?

A) Large diameter (10m-1000km) object originating from belt between Jupiter and Mars
B) Moderate diameter (<10m) object originating from collisions of asteroids
C) Small diameter (<10 cm) object destroyed in Earth's atmosphere
D) Variable-sized object that intersects the Earth's surface
E) Icy object that appears to have a tail as it burns, originates from outside our solar system

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Why did scientists FIRST hypothesize that a meteorite impact caused the extinction at the K-Pg Boundary?

A) They found evidence of a giant tsunami on the Gulf coast.
B) They found evidence of an impact crater in Mexico.
C) They found evidence of wildfires in many regions throughout the globe.
D) They found evidence of Iridium enrichments in a clay layer that led them to believe that the Iridium was the remains of a meteorite impact.
E) They found evidence of acid rain in the rocks in the Southern Hemisphere.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Why didn't the Tunguska Event in Siberia in 1908 cause any deaths?

A) It was a small diamond-bearing meteorite that was incapable of producing much damage.
B) It was an airburst that flattened trees over a huge area but it occurred in a remote area of the world.
C) It was a meteor that vaporized high in the Earth's atmosphere but it was visible to millions of people for several minutes.
D) It was a meteorite that created one of the largest impact craters ever recorded on Earth but it occurred in a remote area of the world.
E) It was a comet that passed near the Earth but it was visible to people for 18 months.

Question 5

Which of the following describes a asteroid?

A) Large diameter (10m-1000km) object originating from belt between Jupiter and Mars
B) Small diameter (<10 cm) object destroyed in Earth's atmosphere
C) Variable-sized object that intersects the Earth's surface
D) Icy object that appears to have a tail as it burns, originates from outside our solar system

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT an extraterrestrial particle?

A) Asteroid
B) Meteoroid
C) Meteor
D) Comet
E) Cupid

Question 7

Which of the following statements is NOT a reason why meteorite impact craters are much more common on the Moon than on the Earth?

A) Many impact craters on the Earth are buried by sediment over geologic time and so we don't see them.
B) Many impact craters on the Earth are destroyed by plate tectonic processes.
C) Smaller meteoroids and comets tend to burn up and disintegrate in the Earth's atmosphere before striking its surface.
D) The Earth's crust is very strong and so it is difficult for meteorite impact craters to form there.

Question 8

What is the significance of the rock Breccia in an impact crater?

A) It is composed of dust-sized glassy ash particles, indicating melting and a large explosion.
B) It is composed of angular fragments indicating that rocks had been shattered.
C) It contains small-scale layering indicating deposition by settling through water.
D) It is composed of iridium indicating that it was created slowly.
E) It is composed of clay indicating a strong impact.

Question 9

Why do particles like meteors and comets glow in the evening sky?

A) They are made from gases that burn in the Earth's atmosphere.
B) They are very hot while they are in space and they cool off in the Earth's atmosphere.
C) They glow like the sun until they enter the Earth's atmosphere.
D) Friction from the Earth's atmosphere causes them to heat up.
E) Friction from the Earth's atmosphere causes them to cool down.

Question 10

Which of the following describes a meteorite?

A) Large diameter (10m-1000km) object originating from belt between Jupiter and Mars
B) Moderate diameter (<10m) object originating from collisions of asteroids
C) Small diameter (<10 cm) object destroyed in Earth's atmosphere
D) Variable-sized object that intersects the Earth's surface
E) Icy object that appears to have a tail as it burns, originates from outside our solar system

Question 11

How are particles in the solar system classified by scientists?

A) Based on diameter and temperature
B) Based on speed of entry and mass
C) Based on diameter and speed of entry
D) Based on composition and diameter
E) Based on mass and composition

Question 12

How are impact craters different from volcanic craters?

A) They aren't. Scientists have to use other methods to determine whether the crater is volcanic or from asteroids.
B) Impact craters are larger than volcanic craters.
C) Impact craters involve heating of underlying rocks and volcanic craters do not.
D) Volcanic craters involve intense pressure on underlying rocks and impact craters do not.
E) Impact craters involve pressure and heating to rocks in much greater degrees than with volcanic processes.

Question 13

Which of the following will NOT cause mass extinctions?

A) Plate tectonics
B) Volcanic Activity causing global cooling
C) Volcanic Activity causing global warming
D) Extraterrestrial impact
E) Landslides

Question 14

Why couldn't researchers find the crater created by the asteroid that resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs?

A) It was in a remote part of the world where nobody lives.
B) It was too small for anyone to notice.
C) It was destroyed by plate tectonic processes.
D) It was buried by sedimentary rock and the seafloor.
E) It was buried in snow and ice.

Question 15

Which of the following statements about meteorite impacts is TRUE?

A) During the Earth's history there have been only a few meteorite impacts due to the protection by the Earth's atmosphere, which vaporizes nearly all meteorites.
B) When a large meteorite strikes the Earth, there is a shock wave that compresses, heats, melts, and excavates earth materials.
C) Meteorite impact craters cannot be distinguished from volcanic craters.
D) Meteor Crater in Arizona has been accepted as having formed by a meteorite impact since it was discovered by geologists in the late nineteenth century.
E) Impact craters are all roughly the same size.

Question 16

Which of the following describes a meteor?

A) Large diameter (10m-1000km) object originating from belt between Jupiter and Mars
B) Moderate diameter (<10m) object originating from collisions of asteroids
C) Small diameter (<10 cm) object destroyed in Earth's atmosphere
D) Variable-sized object that intersects the Earth's surface
E) Icy object that appears to have a tail as it burns, originates from outside our solar system

Question 17

Approximately how old is the Sun?

A) 14 billion years old
B) 14 million years old
C) 5 billion years old
D) 5 million years old
E) 5 thousand years old

Question 18

What triggered the formation of the Sun?

A) Supernova explosion
B) Big Bang explosion
C) Radioactive decay of uranium
D) Electromagnetic attractions
E) No one knows.

Question 19

About how many major Mass Extinctions have there been in the Earth's history?

A) One, just the dinosaurs
B) About 6
C) About 50
D) About 100
E) About 1000

Question 20

Which of the following describes a comet?

A) Large diameter (10m-1000km) object originating from belt between Jupiter and Mars
B) Moderate diameter (<10m) object originating from collisions of asteroids
C) Small diameter (<10 cm) object destroyed in Earth's atmosphere
D) Variable-sized object that intersects the Earth's surface
E) Icy object that appears to have a tail as it burns, originates from outside our solar system

Question 21

People be shouldn't be overly worried about asteroid impacts. Which of the following is NOT a reason why?

A) The incidence of large asteroid impacts is rare.
B) Risk, although relatively high, is averaged over thousands of years.
C) Scientists are working on methods to prevent possible asteroid impacts.
D) The Earth's atmosphere will vaporize all asteroids before they reach the ground.

Question 22

Which of the following hazards is NOT linked to an asteroid impact?

A) Volcanoes
B) Hurricanes
C) Tsunami
D) Landslides
E) Earthquakes

Question 23

How are scientists preparing for a possible asteroid impact?

A) They are fortifying areas most likely to be hit.
B) They are devising shielding devices that will be stationed on the Earth to reflect impacts.
C) They are cataloging objects in the sky that might be dangerous.
D) They are working on supercooling devices to decrease the incidence of wildfires caused by an impact.
E) They aren't doing anything. Asteroid impacts are not likely enough for scientists to be concerned.

Question 24

Which of the following natural disasters was NOT caused by the asteroid impact at the K-Pg boundary?

A) Tsunamis
B) Volcanoes
C) Earthquakes
D) Wildfires
E) Acid Rain

Question 25

Airbursts are not really dangerous to life on the Earth's surface because they explode so high in the atmosphere.

Question 26

Asteroids mostly originate in a belt found between Mars and Jupiter.

Question 27

Meteorites are just asteroids or meteors that make impact with the Earth's surface.

Question 28

Impact craters are much more common on the Moon than here on Earth.

Question 29

What is our best option if a large asteroid was detected and it was headed directly towards Earth?

A) Blow it up in space before it enters our atmosphere
B) Divert it so that it doesn't collide with Earth
C) Allow our atmosphere to vaporize it
D) Send the space shuttle up to tow it out into space
E) Evacuate areas that would be impacted

Question 30

The solar system that we live in started as a spinning "pancake" of matter.

Question 31

The Big Bang occurred about 4.6 billion years ago.

Question 32

Many meteorites have been found in Antarctica.

Question 33

Craters formed by meteorites are unique from craters formed by other processes.

Question 34

Is the risk of disaster from Asteroid Impacts, high or low? Choose the best answer.

A) Relatively high because although large asteroid impacts are rare, they can cause catastrophic effects such as mass extinction
B) Low because asteroid impacts only cause damage in a very local region
C) High because large asteroid impacts are fairly common
D) Low because because there are only two documented large asteroid impacts in the Earth's entire geologic history
E) No one really knows because Asteroid impacts are completely unpredictable.

Question 35

If there was an asteroid of the same size as the one at the K-Pg Boundary, would it mean a Mass Extinction that includes humans? Choose the best answer.

A) Yes. Humans could not survive the heat and shock waves of an asteroid impact.
B) Yes, if the impact was in the ocean. Humans could not survive the tsunami.
C) No. Humans have too much technology to be hurt.
D) No. Asteroids aren't strong enough to cause a mass extinction.
E) Probably, humans are at the top of the food chain, which makes them vulnerable.

Question 36

Massive stars have longer lives than smaller ones do.

Question 37

The Chelyabinsk Meteor in 2013 in Russia caused over 300 deaths, making it the deadliest airburst ever.

Question 38

Impact craters on the Earth are hard to find because they can be buried on the ocean floor or by sediment.

Question 39

Comets are dust-sized objects that completely vaporize upon entering the Earth's atmosphere.

Question 40

What is the recurrence interval for asteroid impacts such as the one that resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs?

A) About one thousand to ten thousand years
B) About 100 thousand to one million years
C) About ten million to 100 million years
D) About 1 billion to 10 billion years

Question 41

For several centuries geologists have accepted the idea that the Earth could be hit by large objects from outer space.

Question 42

Although the risk from asteroids is high, we probably should not worry too much because incidence is extremely rare.

Question 43

An asteroid impact is a direct cause for a number of other natural hazards, including tsunamis, wildfires, earthquakes, mass wasting, climate change, and, possibly, volcanic eruptions.

Question 44

A mass extinction is characterized by the sudden loss of large numbers of plants and animals relative to the number of new species being added.

Question 45

The Tunguska Event in Siberia produced one of the largest and best preserved impact craters on the Earth.

Question 46

Complex impact craters are larger than simple impact craters.

Question 47

The dinosaurs became extinct because of an ice age that changed their habitat.

Question 48

Impact craters on the Earth can get erased over geologic time by plate tectonic processes and erosion.

Question 49

Asteroid impacts are rare and therefore our risk of death from them is essentially zero.

Question 50

Extinctions of species is fairly uncommon in the Earth's history because extinctions tend to be caused by humans.

Question 51

Mass extinctions are usually caused by some kind of rapid climate change.

Question 52

If scientists spot an object that might collide with Earth, they will probably have thousands of years to study it before the collision.

Question 53

The Younger Dryas represents a time of an unusual combination of abrupt glacial melting followed by climatic cooling that has been explained by an extraterrestrial impact.

Question 54

The dinosaurs were killed by the asteroid because their habitat was near the impact area, whereas mammals were not killed because their habitat was much farther away.

Question 55

The largest recorded mass extinction occurred at the K-Pg boundary and it involved the dinosaurs.

Question 56

The asteroid impact found at the Yucatan peninsula was probably big enough to cause wildfires across most of the globe.

Question 57

The risk from asteroid impacts is higher than that of drowning or a car accident.

Question 58

Scientists hypothesized that the Mass Extinction at the K-Pg boundary was due to an asteroid impact by looking at the rock record without actually finding an impact crater.

Question 59

An asteroid impact of the size found in the Yucatan peninsula would have global consequences far from the impact site.

Question 60

If a large asteroids was headed toward the Earth, the best option would be to evacuate the area to be affected by the collision.

Question 61

Why did the asteroid impact mean a mass extinction for dinosaurs, but other species survived?

Question 62

Explain why one needs to know about the formation of the solar system in order to understand asteroids.

Question 63

In terms of avoiding an impact from an asteroid, what do you think is the best solution? Why?

Question 64

There is actually a high risk from an asteroid impact. Explain why this is. Next, since the risk is so high, what kind of public awareness of asteroid impact should there be? Describe the measures that should be taken to increase public awareness or explain why it would not be necessary.

Question 65

A large asteroid impact would probably cause a mass extinction, but an airburst might be more of a worry for people. Why?

Question 66

What are some causes of mass extinction?

Question 67

When was the greatest mass extinction in Earth's history?

Question 68

Describe how an asteroid impact is capable of causing a mass extinction.

Question 69

What is the difference between an asteroids, meteor, and comet?

Question 70

Explain briefly how an impact crater is formed.