Santa Monica College Earth Science

GEOL 1 - Physical Geology

Exam # 3: Study Guide - Spring 2020

exam date: Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Professor: Dr. Alessandro Grippo, Ph.D.
 
General InformationLast Updated  •  May 26, 2020
PLEASE NOTE:
This is an online test, but the following rules still apply:

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 can not use any text, notes, dictionary, pocket calculator, flash card, or any source of information other than your brain. You will NOT need a ruler for this test.

This study guide must be interpreted (literally) as a guide to the study of the subject and not as a list 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, in the lab 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 on the textbooks, 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. Review the materials from your quizzes.
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 in class or during the lab.

ammonites
Jurassic ammonites from the Ammonitic Red Formation of the Italian Alps

 
Study GuideLast Updated  •  May 26, 2020
At the end of all chapters there are sections titled "Terms To Remember", and "Testing Your Knowledge". My suggestion is that you make sure to know those terms and to review your materials by answering those questions.


Chapter 6 - Sediment and Sedimentary Rocks

  • Know the Introduction
  • Know Sediment
    • know what sediment is, how it gets eroded, transported, deposited
    • know the processes of lithification, or how a clastic sediment is changed into a clastic sedimentary rock
    • know about maturity: compositional maturity, sorting, rounding and sphericity
  • Know Types of Sedimentary Rocks: in particular, know the differences between clastic sedimentary rocks, crystalline (chemical) sedimentary rocks, and organic sedimentary rocks
  • Know the different types of sedimentary rocks
  • Know Detrital (or clastic) Sedimentary Rocks
    • know the names of detrital sedimentary rocks, how do they form, what environments they indicate: breccia, conglomerate, quartz sandstone, arkose sandstone, graywacke sandstone, lithic sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, claystone, shale
    • know what porosity, pores, grains, cement, matrix are, and how their properties vary in different clastic sediments and sedimentary rocks
    • know what fissility is (do not confuse fissility with foliation, which is typical of regional metamorphic rocks, see Chapter 7). Figure 6.13, page 136 is important in that regard
  • Know Chemical Sedimentary Rocks: carbonate rocks, cherts and evaporites
    • know the names (and for evaporites, carbonates, and cherts, the chemical composition) of chemical sedimentary rocks: evaporites (gypsum, anhydrite, halite), ironstones (hematite, limonite, banded-iron formations), phosphorites, cherts, carbonates (dolostones and limestones; within limestones: travertine, tufa, oolitic limestone, coral reefs, fossiliferous limestone, coquina, chalk, micrite). Table 6.2, page 139 helps, but you need to double check your notes for completeness of information
    • know the difference between carbonates produced inorganically and carbonates produced organically
    • know which pelagic organisms (coccolithophorids, diatoms, foraminifera, and radiolarians) are responsible for open-ocean sedimentation, and their characteristics (type of shell mineralogy, phyto- or zooplankton)
      see also Protists on the Images web page
    • know what the C.C.D. (Carbonate Compensation Depth) is (see C.C.D. on the Stratigraphy web page)
  • Know Organic Sedimentary Rocks
  • know The Origin of Oil and Gas: be able to reason in terms of oxic and anoxic environments; be able to reason on photosynthesis and respiration; know and be aware that chemical, physical, and biological conditions were different on Earth during its geological history (we discussed, for instance, the Cretaceous greenhouse)
  • Know Sedimentary Structures (see also Sedimentary Structures and Colors on the Images web page)
    • Know where you would find (rocks and environments) all these structures, but pay special attention to, among them, Graded Bedding and Cross-Bedding
    • Know what a Turbidite is and where it would form, and its temporal meaning (how long does it take for it to form? is that a "normal" event, or a "catastrophic" event?)
  • Know what Fossils are, and what they indicate (both Time and Environment of Deposition)
  • Know what a Formation is (for instance, the Navajo Sandstone, or the Morrison Formation). Know what a "Contact" is
  • Know Interpretation of Sedimentary Rocks. Know what "Transgression and Regression" are. Study Figure 6.38, page 153
  • Know the "three Principle of Steno: Superposition, Original Horizontality, and Lateral Continuity"

  • Know the Powerpoints discussed in class:

    ALSO:

  • Review the summary at the end of the chapter
  • Learn the terms to remember
  • Answer questions in the "testing your knowledge" section


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