Santa Monica College Earth Science

GEOL 1 - Physical Geology

Exam # 4 Study Guide - Fall 2018

exam date: December 17, 2018

3:30 PM sharp !

Professor: Dr. Alessandro Grippo, Ph.D.
 
General InformationLast Updated  •  December 10, 2018
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 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:

  1. one Scantron, Form 882-E
  2. a number 2 pencil
  3. 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 on the lecture textbook, on the lab textbook, on the web pages, and on 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


 
Textbook chaptersLast Updated  •  December 10, 2018

This test a cumulative final test. Review the basics of all chapters covered so far

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

  1. Read The Introduction
  2. Read Who Needs Geology
  3. Know Earth Systems
  4. Know An Overview of Physical Geology - important concepts
    Know the whole paragraph, and in particular:
    • Know Earth's layer, from both the physical and the chemical point of view, and how they differ one from the other
    • Be able to explain how do we know about them
    • Know about the magnetic field of Earth
    • Know about sources of heat and energy on Earth
    • Know about convection, plate tectonics, name and location of the main plates
    • Know all kinds of plate boundaries, 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)
    • Know the three kinds of rocks and their origin
  5. Know Geologic Time: be aware of the immensity of geologic time

  6. Know section "In greater depth": Plate tectonics and the Scientific Method

ALSO:

  • Review the summary at the end of the chapter
  • Learn the terms to remember
  • Answer questions in the "testing your knowledge" section
    Chapter 19 - Plate Tectonics

    1. Read the Introduction
    2. Know The Early Case for Continental Drift
    3. Read The Revival of Continental Drift
    4. Know Seafloor Spreading
    5. Know Plates and Plate Motion
    6. Readp How Do We Know That Plates Move?
    7. Know Divergent Plate Boundaries
    8. Know Transform Plate Boundaries
    9. Know Convergent Plate Boundaries
    10. Know Do Plate Boundaries Move?
    11. Know Can Plates Chgange In Size?
    12. Know The Attractiveness of Plate Tectonics
    13. Read What Causes Plate Motions? - except for the section Mantle Plumes and Hot Spots, which you should study and know well
    14. Read A Final Note

    ALSO:

  • Review the summary at the end of the chapter
  • Learn the terms to remember
  • Answer questions in the "testing your knowledge" section
    Chapter 2 - Atoms, Elements, and Minerals

    1. Read the Introduction
    2. Know Minerals and Rocks
    3. 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
      • Include section "Earth Systems 2.1" on stable isotopes, page 30
      • Include section "In Greater Depth 2.3" on elements in Earth's crust, page 33
      • Include section "Environmental Geology 2.5" on clay minerals, page 37
      • Know about polar molecules, stable and unstable (radioactive) isotopes
      • Know the eight most abundant element of Earth's crust, and their relative importance
      • 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 kind of minerals with silicon tetrahedra have what structure
      • Know what defines a mineral and the most important ones; know the chemical formulas of quartz, olivine and calcite
    4. Know Variations in Mineral Structures and Compositions (we discussed in particular the structure and formation of the mineral olivine
    5. Know The Physical Properties of Minerals
    6. Know The Many Conditions of Mineral Formation
    Know also:
    1. Earth Systems 2.1, Oxygen Isotopes and Climate Change, page 30
    2. In Greater Depth 2.3, Elements in the Earth, page 33
    3. Environmental Geology 2.5, Clay Minerals That Swell, page 37
    4. In Greater Depth 2.8, Water and Ice - Molecules and Crystals, page 46.

    ALSO:

  • Review the summary at the end of the chapter
  • Learn the terms to remember
  • Answer questions in the "testing your knowledge" section
    Chapter 3 - Igneous Rocks, Intrusive Activity and the Origin of Igneous Rocks

    1. Read the Introduction
    2. Know The Rock Cycle
    3. Know Igneous Rocks
      Among other things:
      • Know Fig. 3.2, page 52
      • Know very well the diagram of Fig. 3.5, page 55
      • Know the section "In Greater Depth 3.1" on Pegmatites, page 57
    4. Know How Magma Forms
    5. Know How Magmas of Different Composition Evolve (including Bowen's reaction series: there WILL be questions on it; study Fig. 3.15, page 63)
    6. Know Intrusive Bodies (both shallow and deep)
    7. Know Abundance and Distribution of Plutonic Rocks
    8. Know Explaining Igneous Activity by Plate Tectonics
      • Know in particular Table 3.2, page 71

    9. Review "Terms to remember", page 75
    10. Test yourself using the questions on page 75

    ALSO:

  • Review the summary at the end of the chapter
  • Learn the terms to remember
  • Answer questions in the "testing your knowledge" section
    Chapter 4 - Volcanism and Extrusive Rocks

    1. Read the Introduction
    2. Know What are Volcanoes and why should we study them. Be sure to review Table 4.1, page 82
    3. Know Eruptive Violence and Physical Characteristics of Lava. Know this section very well.
      Make sure to be able to distinguish between effusive and explosive eruptions
    4. Know The Eruptive Products of Volcanoes
    5. Know Types of Volcanoes. Be sure to review Table 4.2, page 91
      Know where the Cascade Mountains (a volcanic arc) are
    6. Know the distribution of volcanoes in relation to plate tectonics (see Figure 4.19, page 94)
    7. Read Living with Volcanoes
    8. Know Plate Tectonics and Volcanism

    ALSO:

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

  • Review "Terms to remember", page 103
  • Review "terms Covered in Chapter 3 that are Useful for Chapter 4", page 103
  • Test yourself using the questions on pages 103 and 104
    Chapter 5 - Weathering and Soil

    1. Know what Weathering, Erosion and Transportation are
    2. Know How Weathering Changes Rocks
    3. Know Effects of Weathering
    4. Know everything about Mechanical Weatheringand Chemical Weathering.
      • Be sure you know what the most important agents for both kinds are
      • Be sure to know the consequences of both kinds of weathering on different rocks
      • Know what the most common weathering products are
      • Understand what happens in Table 5.1 and Figure 5.14, p. 114 (know the main chemical formulas)
      • Know table 5.2, page 115
      • Read the section "Environmental Geology 5.1" on the carbon cycle and climate on page 116
    5. Know all about Soil. Know Fig. 5.18, page 118. Be sure to know also about the properties of clay minerals (remember the section on clay minerals on page 37)
    6. Know the difference between a clay mineral and a clay particle
    7. Read the section "In Greater Depth 5.2" on bauxite and aluminum, page 121 and know the main concepts
    8. You do NOT need to know Table 5.3 or Fig. 5.25, both on page 124

    ALSO:

  • Review the summary at the end of the chapter
  • Learn the terms to remember
  • Answer questions in the "testing your knowledge" section
    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 .pdf presentation 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
    Chapter 7 - Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

    • Know the Introduction
    • Know Metamorphism
    • Know Factors Controlling the Characteristics of Metamorphic Rocks
      • know the difference between confining pressure and differential stress
      • know what foliation is (and do not confuse foliation with fissility, typical of shale, a clastic sedimentary rock, see Chapter 6)
      • review in particular Figure 7.6, page 162)
    • Know Classification of Metamorphic Rocks (see also Table 7.1, page 163)
      • Know the contact metamorphic rocks: marble, quartzite and hornfels
      • Know the regional metamorphic rocks: slate, phyllite, schist, gneiss and migmatite
    • Know Types of Metamorphism
    • Know Metamorphic Grade
    • Know in particular Figure 7.18, page 170
    • Know about Plate Tectonics and Metamorphism (see also Figure 7.21, page 173)
      • Know Hydrothermal Metamorphism and Plate Tectonics, including Metasomatism and Hydrothermal Rocks and Minerals
      • Know about black smokers
      • Review in particular Figures 7.23, 7.24, and 7.25, page 175

        review the powerpoint Metamorphic Rocks

      ALSO:

    • Review the summary at the end of the chapter
    • Learn the terms to remember
    • Answer questions in the "testing your knowledge" section
    Chapter 8 - Time and Geology

    • Know the Introduction
    • Know The Key to the Past
      • Know who Nicolaus Steno, James Hutton, Charles Lyell, William Smith, and Charles Darwin were and what was their contribution to geology (an extended guide to this can be found on the web site, on the stratigraphy pages. You do not need to study or know all of this section: just refer to the basic facts concerning the four scientist cited above and discussed during lecture.
    • Know Relative Time
      Know the whole section, review the powerpoint
      Among other things:
      • Know the Introduction
      • Know the difference between Relative Age and Numerical Age
      • Review (from chapter 6) what contacts and Formations are
      • Know the three Principles of Steno, and who Steno was
      • Know the other two Principles: cross-cutting relationships and inclusions
      • Know what Unconformities are, and the three kinds we described (You can skip the term of Paraconformity, but still know it is a possible kind of unconformity).
      • Know Correlation, and how we proceed to correlate
      • Know in particular the use of Fossils, the Principle of Faunal Succession, what is an Index Fossil, what is a Fossil Assemblage
      • Know the Standard Geologic Time Scale:
        • know the difference between periods of time and the rocks that represent those periods of time
        • know names and relative order of Eons (Eonothems), Eras (Erathems) and Periods (Systems)
        • know numerical ages for the Precambrian / Phanerozoic boundary, and for the Paleozoic / Mesozoic and Mesozoic / Cenozoic boundaries. Use Figure 8.24, page 199, for reference.
    • Know Numerical Age
      Review the powerpoint
      Read the whole paragraph, but know in particular:
      • about radioactive isotopes (not the single couples parent - daughter but the concept of radioactivity and radioactive decay)
      • about parent and daughter isotopes, and the concept of half-life
      • be able to calculate numerical ages using simple math, when you know the amounts of P, D and the half-life of an isotope. You are supposed to know the half-life of 14C. If other isotopes will be used, I will provide you with the proper numbers.
      • about the differences in dating rocks and in dating organic materials: what do you use, why can you use it, how does it work and what are the orders of magnitude of time involved
      • about Uses of Isotopic Dating
    • Know Combining Relative and Numerical Ages
    • Know Age of the Earth
      Be able to use all the concepts you learned so far: for instance, can a Jurassic chert inclusion be found in a Triassic limestone? (answer: NO! Inclusions are always older than the rock that hosts them. The Jurassic Period is younger than Triassic Period, so you can not have a inclusion that is younger than the rock in which it is found).

      ALSO:

    • Review the summary at the end of the chapter
    • Learn the terms to remember
    • Answer questions in the "testing your knowledge" section
    Chapter 9 - Mass Wasting

    • Know the introduction
    • Know Mass Wasting
    • Know Controlling Factors in Mass Wasting (this is the most important section of this chapter)
    • Know Classification of Mass Wasting.
      • Know what creep, earthflow, solifluction, permafrost, debris flow, mud flow, rockfall, rockslide and rock avalance are
    • Know Underwater Landslides
    • Know Preventing Landslides


      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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