ERSC 1P94 Earth Science Assignment: Search for Life and Planets

This Earth Science assignment solution addresses the relative sequencing of geologic events using cross-cutting relationships, focusing on Europa's surface features to determine the order of fracturing and ridge formation. The assignment also explores the search for life, including the Drake equation and the factors influencing the number of potential civilizations. Furthermore, it analyzes candidate habitable exoplanets, evaluating their characteristics and potential for supporting life. The solution also investigates extremophiles and their ability to thrive in diverse, extreme environments. The student has provided answers to questions related to the Drake equation, exoplanet characteristics, and extremophile types, demonstrating an understanding of the concepts.

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EARTH SCIENCE
Name of Student
Institution Affiliation

Earth science 2
Part 1
Problem 1
Youngest A
C
Oldest B
Problem 2
Youngest C
A
D
Oldest B
Problem 3
Youngest A
E
C
D
Oldest B
Part 2 Search for life
Task 1
The number of civilizations with which communication might be possible is quite simply the
product of all the above-mentioned parameters (Grant, 2011).
Thus, the original N as calculated by Drake in 1961 would be

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N = 10x0.5x2x1x0.01x0.01x10000 = 10
And the one in 2011 would be
N = 1x0.4.x1.25x1x1x0.7x10000 = 3,500
fc the fraction of intelligent life capable of developing interstellar communication is one of the
parameters that is still a guess, since we are the only intelligent life known to us, and thus,
determining a statistically sound fraction is impossible since our sample set has just one element.
The determination of these fractions thus relies on best guesses.
Part 3
Task 2
Plan
et #
Star
Temperatu
re (K)
Star
Typ
e F,
G, K
Distan
ce
from
the star
(AU)
Planet
in
Habitab
le Zone
Plane
t
Radi
us in
Earth
Radii
(RE)
Planet
Large
Enough to
Retain
Atmosphe
re
Potential
ly
habitable
to Earth-
like life
(YES/N
O)(Y/
N)
(Y/N) (Y/N)
1 6,169 N 0.96 Y 17.9 N YES
2 4,097 Y 0.21 N 2.1 Y NO
3 5,560 N 0.47 N 5.9 N NO
4 6,103 N 0.71 N 6 N NO
5 3,240 Y 0.06 N 4.8 N NO
6 4,656 Y 0.42 N 3.4 N NO
7 7,083 N 0.38 N 2.8 N NO
8 5,171 N 0.57 N 9.3 N NO
9 5,218 N 0.38 N 2.3 N NO
10 5,624 N 0.84 N 4.1 N NO
11 5,384 N 0.63 N 4.4 N NO

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12 5,760 N 0.95 Y 2.1 Y YES
13 5,356 N 0.54 N 2.7 N NO
14 5,665 N 0.57 N 3.7 N NO
15 3,143 Y 0.22 N 1.9 Y NO
Question 4
It is planet 12
Plan
et #
Star
Temperatu
re (K)
Star
Typ
e F,
G,
K
Distan
ce
from
the star
(AU)
Planet
in
Habitab
le Zone
Plane
t
Radi
us in
Earth
Radii
(RE)
Planet
Large
Enough to
Retain
Atmosphe
re
Potential
ly
habitable
to Earth-
like life
(YES/N
O)
12 5,760 N 0.95 Y 2.1 Y YES
Part 3
Task 1
Task 2
Alpher Centuri is one of the brightest stars. It is situated in the southern sky. This planet
candidate Apher century Bb was announced to be the nearest planet to earth. And it is the lightest

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every discovered around the sun. The candidate detected this planet by employing the HARPS
instrument on the 3.6 meters telescope in Chile at a place known as La Silla (Anitori, 2012).
Task 3
Types
i. Acidophile
ii. Alkaliphile
https://biologywise.com/what-are-types-of-extremophiles-where-are-they-found
Acidophile thrives well in the acidic condition of pH of about 2.0 while Alkanilphile thrives best
in a basic condition of pH 8 to 11. Therefore the first can find live in acidic condition while the
later in a basic condition.
Task 4
The world is a very good plant which can support almost every life of every organism. For
example, extremophile is basically an organism which people thought that cannot thrive and
survive in some conditions of the world. These organisms survive in a very harsh environment
where nobody thinks any life can be supported in such an area. For instance, some of these
organisms survive in a strongly acidic condition of pH of 2 and a very strong alkanoic condition
of a pH of 11. Some extremophile survives at a high temperature while others survive in very
high pressure. All these lives are supported on the world. Therefore the world is a very beautiful
place which cares for the survival of every organism.

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References
Anitori, R. P. (2012). Extremophiles: Microbiology and Biotechnology. Florida: Horizon
Scientific Press.
Grant, W. (2011). Extremophiles: Microbial Life in Extreme Environments. Chicago: Wiley.