PLEASE NOTE:
Cellular phones, iPods, Blackberries, Bluetooth, headphones, computers, pocket calculators, dictionaries, translators or, in general, ANY KIND of electronic device CANNOT be used during the test.
All electronic devices MUST BE TURNED OFF: if a cell phone rings, if a light is visible, or a device is on while in class during test time, you will not be allowed to finish your test and your result will be invalidated.
You cannot use any book, text, manual, note, dictionary, pocket calculator, flash card, or any other source of information except your brain.
You will NOT need a ruler for this test.
You will ONLY need to bring:
- one Scantron, Form 882-E
- a number 2 pencil
- an eraser
This study guide must be interpreted (literally) as a guide to the study of the subject and not as a listing of possible questions.
There is no additional information compared to what has been said, discussed, shown, illustrated in class.
It is YOUR personal responsibility to cover the materials listed below in the lecture textbook, on the web pages, and in your notes.
I would strongly recommend that you peruse your notes for completeness of information: some information that has been detailed in class is only mentioned briefly in the textbook, and you are responsible for covering that; know what the key terms and concepts are (see the list at the end of each chapter on both your textbook and your lab manual); exercise with the questions for review also found at the end of each chapter.
Read the summary at the end of each chapter, try to answer review questions, try to work with other fellow students if you find it useful.
Never hesitate to ask me questions.
Jurassic ammonites from the Ammonitic Red Formation of the Italian Alps
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| Textbook chapters | Last Updated • March 7, 2015 |
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Chapter 1 - Introducing Geology, the Essentials of Plate Tectonics, and Other Important Concepts
Review and study the whole chapter. You need to grasp the meaning of every concept in this chapter
- Read The Introduction
- Read Who Needs Geology
- Know Earth Systems
- Know An Overview of Physical Geology - important concepts
Know the whole paragraph, and in particular:
- Know Earth's layers, from both the physical and the chemical point of view, and how they differ one from the other
- Be able to explain how did we get to know about their existence
- Know about the magnetic field of Earth and its origin
- Know about (internal and external) sources of heat and energy on Earth
- Know about convection, plate tectonics, name and location of the seven main plates
- Know all kinds of plate boundaries (divergent, convergent, transform), and what happens at each one of them
- Know Hot Spots, what they are, and what happens at those locations
(consider the cases of Hawai'i and Yellowstone, for example, but also the Afar hot spot)
- Know the three kinds of rocks (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic), and their origin
- Know Geologic Time: be aware of the immensity of geologic time
- Read the section "In Greater Depth 1.4", pages 20-21: Plate Tectonics and the Scientific Method
Chapter 19 - Plate Tectonics
- Read the Introduction
- Know The Early Case for Continental Drift
- Know The Revival of Continental Drift
(there will be no questions out of the section "Evidence from Paleomagnetism")
- Know Seafloor Spreading
- Know Plates and Plate Motion
- Read How Do We Know That Plates Move?
- Know Divergent Plate Boundaries
- Know Transform Plate Boundaries
- Know Convergent Plate Boundaries
- Know Do Plate Boundaries Move?
- Know Can Plates Change In Size?
- Know The Attractiveness of Plate Tectonics
- Know What Causes Plate Motions?
(there will be no questions from the sections "Ridge Push", "Slab Pull", "Trench Suction", but only "Mantle Plumes and Hot Spots"
- Read A Final Note
- Read the section "In Greater Depth 19.1", pages 478-479: Indentation tectonics and "Mushy" Plate Boundaries
Chapter 2 - Atoms, Elements, and Minerals
- Read the Introduction
- Know Minerals and Rocks
- Know Atoms and Elements
Know in particular:
- Atoms and elements; the atomic structure, why atoms bond, and how (kinds of bond)
- Know about ions, and isotopes, atomic number and atomic mass
- Know about stable and unstable (radioactive) isotopes
- Know what the eight most common elements in Earth's crust are
Know also the section "In Greater Depth 2.3", page 33: Elements in the Earth
- Know about the special properties of clay minerals
- Know about polar molecules, with special attention to the peculiar behavior of the water molecule (H2O)
- Know what isotopes are, and the difference between stable and unstable (radioactive) ones. Know what is the use of isotopes in geology
Know also the section "Earth Systems 2.1", page 30: Oxygen Isotopes and Climate Change
- Know the main mineral groups present in Earth's crust
- Know about silicon tetrahedra, how they bond, why they are stable or unstable
- Know what silicon tetrahedra structure is present in every kind of silicate group (olivines, pyroxenes, amphiboles, micas, feldspars, quartz)
- Know what defines a mineral and the name of most important ones
- know the chemical formulas of Quartz (SiO2), Olivine ([FeMg]2SiO4) and Calcite (CaCO3)
- Know the section "Environmental geology 2.5, page 37: Clay Minerals that Swell
- Know Variations in Mineral Structures and Compositions (solid solutions: Olivine; compositional zoning in solid solutions: Na- and Ca- Plagioclases; polymorphism: Calcite vs. Aragonite; Graphite vs. Diamond)
- Know The Physical Properties of Minerals
- Know The Many Conditions of Mineral Formation
Copyright © 1994-2015, Alessandro Grippo, All Rights Reserved
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