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One hemisphere of Encedalus has a much younger crust than the other, which is heavily cratered.

a.True
b.False

User Gunit
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Final answer:

It is true that Enceladus has one hemisphere with a much younger crust compared to the other, which is heavily cratered. The smooth terrain and geysers in the south polar region reflect recent geological activity, contrasting with the older, cratered areas that indicate an ancient surface.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that one hemisphere of Enceladus has a much younger crust than the other, which is heavily cratered, is true. This dichotomy can be observed on Saturn's moon Enceladus, where there are regions with smooth terrains indicative of geological activity, and contrasting heavily cratered areas that suggest much older surfaces. This is due to the evidence that newer geological features, such as the "tiger stripes" in the south polar region of Enceladus, show higher temperatures and are the source of geysers. These smooth and geologically recent features lack the abundance of impact craters seen in adjacent, older regions of the moon's crust.


Learning how the crater counts correlate with age, it's understood that heavily cratered areas are typically older since they've been exposed for longer periods of time without being renewed or resurfaced. These principles are not unique to Enceladus but are a common phenomenon observed across many celestial bodies, including planets and moons. Thus, Enceladus does indeed display a clear disparity in crustal age across its hemispheres.

User Complistic
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