Chapter 11 - Q&A

Website Notes: This exercise requires Netscape Navigator 4.x (or greater) or Internet Explorer 4.x (or greater).

1. Decay of radioactive isotopes and other sources of heat within the early Earth is thought to have caused the Earth to melt. What were the initial consequences of a molten Earth?

A. Earth's atmosphere was lost to space.

B. Our Moon formed from droplets of the Earth's mantle.

C. The magma ocean drained into the Earth's interior and caused the core to melt.

D. Molten iron sank to form the Earth's core; less dense silicate materials accumulated above the core to form the mantle; and volatile materials such as water and carbon dioxide were degassed from the interior and retained by the Earth's gravitational field as an atmosphere and eventually a hydrosphere.