Santa Monica College Earth Science

GEOL 4 - Physical Geology (with Lab)

Exam # 1 Study Guide - Winter 2007

January 18, 2007

Professor: Dr. Alessandro Grippo, Ph.D.
 
General InformationLast Updated  •  January 11, 2007
NOTE: You will ONLY need to bring

  1. one Scantron Form 882-E
  2. a number 2 pencil
  3. an eraser
  4. your Geology 2x2 glass for the lab exam (you will be given a streak plate and a magnet will be available

    This study guide must be interpreted (literally) as a guide to study and not as a listing of possible questions. It is YOUR responsability to cover the materials listed here on the lecture textbook, the lab textbooks and your notes, including those you have taken during the projection of movies.

    I would also strongly recommend that you peruse your notes for completeness of information; know what the key terms and concepts are (see the list at the end of each chapter on your textbook); exercise with the questions for review also found at the end of each chapter.

 
Study Guide: part 1 - LECTURELast Updated  •  January 11, 2007
Chapter 1

  1. Know Earth's layer, from both the physical and the chemical point of view, and how they differ one from the other.
  2. Be able to explain how do we know about them.
  3. Know about the magnetic field of Earth.
  4. Know about sources of heat and energy on Earth.
  5. Know about convection, plate tectonics, name and location of the main plates.
  6. Know all kinds of plate boundaries, and what happens at each one of them.
  7. Know the three kinds of rocks and their origin.

Chapter 2

  1. Know about atoms and elements; the atomic structure, why atoms bond, and how (kinds of bond).
  2. Know about ions, and isotopes, atomic number and atomic mass.
  3. Knoow about polar molecules, stable and unstable isotopes.
  4. Know the eight most abundant element of Earth's crust, and their relative importance.
  5. Know the main mineral groups present in Earth's crust.
  6. Know about silicon tetrahedra, how they bond, why they are stable or unstable; know what kind of minerals with silicon tetrahedra have what structure.
  7. Know what defines a mineral and the most important ones; know the chemical formulas of quartz, olivine and calcite.
  8. Know the physical properties of minerals

Chapter 3

  1. Know the rock cycle.
  2. Know igneous rocks.
  3. Know intrusive bodies.
  4. Know sediment transport and deposition.
  5. Know abundance and distribution of plutonic rocks.
  6. Know how magma forms and how magmas of different compistion evolve (including Bowen's reaction series).
  7. Know how to explain igneous activity by plate tectonics.

Chapter 4

  1. Study the introduction and know effects on humans.
  2. Know extrusive rocks and gases, including composition and textures.
  3. Know the types of volcanoes.
  4. Know about lava floods and submarine eruptions.

Chapter 5

  1. Know what weatherin, erosion and transportation are, and how weathering alters rocks.
  2. Know the effects of weathering.
  3. Know everything about mechanical and 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, and what the most common weathering products are.
  4. Know about soils; be sure to know also about the properties of clay minerals.

Chapter 6

  1. Know what a sediment is (first paragraph).
  2. Know types of sedimentary rocks.
  3. Know all clastic, chemical and organic sedie=mentary rock. Be able to classify rocks (i.e., define one).
  4. Know the origin of oil and gas.
  5. Know sedimentary structures.
  6. Know formations and interpretation of sedimentary rocks.

Chapter 7

  1. Know the introduction to the chapter.
  2. Know the factors controlling the characteristics of metamorphic rocks.
  3. Know the classification of metamorphic rocks.
  4. Know the types of metamorphism.
  5. Know plate tectonics and metamorphism.
  6. Know hydrothermal processes.

 
Study Guide: part 2 - LABLast Updated  •  January 11, 2007
The Lab exam includes a written test part (bring a SECOND Scan-Tron 882-E for this) and a mineral identification part. The students will be randomly divided in two groups, A and B. Group A will work on the written test while group B will identify the minerals. Each group will have one hour to finish; after one hour, group A will work with the minerals and group B will take the written test. To avoid crowding at the minerals table, no more than one student at a time will be allowed on a specific sample. Students will be provided with identification charts, and will only need to carry a pencil, an eraser, a Scan-Tron AND the geology 2x2 glass (streak plates will be provided and a magnet will be available). If a student finishes early BOTH parts of the test, he/she can leave the room and show up at 10.15 in DH 205 for the Lecture test.

Chapter 1

  1. Know the paragraph "Measuring Earth Materials and Relationships"; be able to use the metric system and to perform simple calculations (NO CALCULATOR required for the exam, no calculator or cell phone allowed!); know the main conversion factors between feet and meters & miles and kilometers; know how to calculate an area and a volume; know how to measure and calculate velocity (speed) and density.
  2. Know "Density, Gravity and Isostasy".

Chapter 2

  1. Know the whole chapter, except for part 2B.

Chapter 3

  1. Study the introduction.
  2. Know part 3A "Mineral properties and uses".
  3. There will be no questions on parts 3B and 3C (that are covered in the mineral identification part of the exam).

Chapter 4

  1. Study the introduction only (pages 77 to 83).

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