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Zorluk: OrtaIdentifying Core Claims and Hypotheses

### Origin of the Ancient Lunar Magnetic Field

Although the Moon currently lacks a global magnetic field, analysis of lunar rock samples returned by the Apollo missions indicates that a strong magnetic field existed on the Moon between 4.254.25 and 3.563.56 billion years ago. Two scientists discuss the potential mechanisms that generated this ancient lunar dynamo.

Scientist 1
The ancient lunar dynamo was driven by thermal convection within the Moon's liquid metallic core. Early in the Moon's history, the core was extremely hot and surrounded by a cooler mantle. This steep temperature gradient caused heat to flow rapidly outward, creating buoyant plumes of hot, liquid iron that rose through the outer core while cooler liquid sank. This thermal convection, combined with the Moon's rotation, generated a global magnetic field. The dynamo ceased approximately 3.53.5 billion years ago because the core cooled to a point where the temperature gradient was too low to sustain convection, and the outer core began to solidify.

Scientist 2
The Moon's core is too small to have sustained a thermal convection dynamo. Instead, the dynamo was driven by precession-induced mechanical stirring. Billions of years ago, the Moon was much closer to Earth, and Earth's gravitational tidal forces exerted a powerful torque on the Moon's mantle. This torque caused the mantle to rotate along a slightly different axis than the liquid core (precession). The friction and velocity difference at the boundary between the wobbling mantle and the liquid core mechanically stirred the liquid iron. This mechanical motion, rather than thermal convection, powered the dynamo. The magnetic field shut down as the Moon drifted further from Earth, weakening the gravitational torque and ending the precession-induced stirring.

Based on the passage, Scientist 2 claims that the ancient lunar dynamo was powered by which of the following processes?

  1. A
    Thermal convection currents created by heat transferring out of the core
  2. B
    The rapid rotation of a completely solid metallic core magnetized by solar winds
  3. Mechanical friction and stirring at the core-mantle boundary caused by gravitational tidal forcesCevap
  4. D
    Changes in the Moon's rotation axis caused by massive meteoroid impacts

Cevap

The correct answer states that the dynamo was powered by mechanical friction and stirring at the core-mantle boundary caused by gravitational tidal forces.
The correct answer states that the dynamo was powered by mechanical friction and stirring at the core-mantle boundary caused by gravitational tidal forces. According to the passage, Scientist 2 explicitly asserts that the dynamo was driven by precession-induced mechanical stirring. The gravitational torque exerted by Earth on the Moon's mantle caused a difference in rotation axis between the mantle and core, resulting in mechanical stirring at their boundary that powered the dynamo.

Adım Adım Çözüm

1
Identify the scientist whose viewpoint is being questioned.
The question asks about the core claim of Scientist 2.
Focusing on the correct viewpoint prevents misidentifying claims belonging to other scientists.
2
Locate Scientist 2's description of the lunar dynamo's power source in the text.
Scientist 2 states that the dynamo was driven by precession-induced mechanical stirring caused by Earth's gravitational tidal forces acting on the Moon's mantle.
This direct textual evidence defines the mechanism proposed by Scientist 2.
3
Match this mechanism to the correct answer choice.
The option specifying mechanical friction and stirring at the core-mantle boundary matches Scientist 2's claim.
This choice accurately summarizes the mechanical stirring hypothesis of Scientist 2.

Anahtar Kavram

Identifying the central claim or mechanism proposed by a scientist in a conflicting viewpoints passage.
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