1.Suppose a large meteorite struck a pile of clastic sedimentary rock. How would

Question

1.Suppose a large meteorite struck a pile of clastic sedimentary rock. How would pressure and temperature change in the rock? Would the effects be the same for rock on the moon as for rock in a sedimentary basin on earth?

2. Many features that have been discovered on Mars suggest that the surface was eroded by water. What kind of evidence would you look for to develop a strong hypothesis that Mars was eroded by liquid water? Can you think of any other reason how some of the landscape features on Mars might have formed without liquid water flowing on the surface?

3. The theory of Punctuated Equilibrium proposes that, contrary to Darwin’s concept of gradual evolution, most species remain static, in stasis, changing very little for long periods of geological history, until some significant evolutionary change occurs. This change creates a climate conducive to rare and rapid evolution that can then occur quickly. In other words, evolutionary change is not gradual, but “punctuated.” A corollary in geology or meteorology might be that a beach will change gradually from wave action over many years, but during a hurricane, it changes dramatically all at once – that is a kind of punctuated equilibrium. This theory was proposed by Paleontologists Niles Eldridge and Stephen Jay Gould.

Geology can be looked at with this theory as well – the earth remains in virtual stasis for extended periods, and then an earthquake, volcano or even significant weather event like a hurricane can dramatically alter the landscape and change things on Earth’s surface significantly in one moment.

Think about geology and the processes of weathering from this unit. Some of these processes are rapid (landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, drought, etc.), and some very slow (glacial flow, soil creep, regolith turning to soil).

In a few sentences, explain in your opinion which process you think dominates the geologic history of the earth, and why?

Explanation / Answer

Meteorite impacts on sedimentary rocks imparts high pressure metamorphism, which means the Area of impact will be transformed into a high pressure polymorph of the earlier one. An example of this is stishovite , a high pressure polymorph of quartz. Temperature effect are minor and only affect the contact layers between meteorite and the rock.

As there is no atmosphere o moon , there are no sedimentary rocks present on it

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