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GEOL 5 - Earth History (with Lab)

Exam # 1 Study Guide - Fall 2019

exam date: Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Professor: Dr. Alessandro Grippo, Ph.D.

 
General InformationLast Updated  •  September 13, 2019    
PLEASE NOTE:
  • You CAN NOT USE cellular phones, iPods, Blackberries, Bluetooth, headphones, computers, pocket calculators, translators or, in general, ANY KIND of electronic device during the test.
    All electronic devices MUST BE TURNED OFF: if a cell phone rings, or if a device is on 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 other source of information than your brain.

  • You will NOT need a ruler or a blue book 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.

  • On this study guide, there is no additional or extra 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 "Fossil Ecosystems of North America", 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 three textbooks, and you are responsible for covering that; know what the key terms and the 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 (Italian Alps)

 
Study Guide: part 1 - readings from "Fossil Ecosystems of North America"Last Updated  •  September 13, 2019    

There will be a few questions out of Fossil Ecosystems of North America.
Refer to the familiar assignments list for a review.

Only materials from the first quiz (including the relative links) will be part of this test.
The Introduction (covered in Quiz 2) will be on the next test.
 
Study Guide: part 2 - LECTURE     - - U P D A T E D - -Last Updated  •  September 13, 2019     

Chapter 1 - Earth as a System
Study the whole chapter; review the Introduction powerpoint

  1. Know "Exploring the Earth System"
  2. Know "The Principle of Actualism" (be sure to know the concepts of Uniformitarianism, Actualism and Catastrophism)
  3. Know the Nature and Origin of Rocks (Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic); these topics are also discussed in much greater detail in Chapter 2
    Among other things:
    • Know Formations, Members, Groups, Supergroups
    • Know what Stratigraphy is
    • Know the three principles of Steno (superposition, original horizontality and lateral continuity)
    • Know what the rock cycle is and how it works
  4. Know "Global Dating of the Rock Record"
    Among other things:
    • know the use of fossils and radioactive decay
    • know what Eons, Eras, Periods and Epochs are
    • know the difference between a geologic Period and a geologic System (page 12 on the textbook)
  5. Know "Imaging Earth Below" (Earth's core, mantle and crust, and the concepts of lithosphere and asthenosphere)
  6. Know "Plate Tectonics"
  7. Know "The Water Cycle"
  8. Know "Directional Change in Earth's History"
  9. Know "Episodic Change in Earth's History"
Chapter 2 - Rock-Forming Minerals and Rocks

  1. Know "The Structure of Minerals": elements, atoms, ions, isotopes, subatomic particles, types of chemical bonds
  2. Know the geologic utility of both stable and unstable isotopes; remember the discussion (with examples) on stable oxygen (O) and carbon (C) isotopes and unstable, or radioactive carbon isotopes
  3. Know the main properties and the main families of minerals, particularly silicates
  4. Know all the textbook material and powerpoints (and your notes!) on igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks, their names and under what conditions they form. All sedimentary rocks will be part of the next test (test #2).

Review the Minerals and the Rocks powerpoints:

Chapter 8 - The Theory of Plate Tectonics

review the Plate Tectonics powerpoint:

  1. Know the History of (Alfred Wegener's) "Continental Drift" theory (be sure to know about the four lines of evidence he used)
  2. Know "The Rise of Plate Tectonics"
  3. Know "Faulting and Volcanism along Plate Boundaries", but:
    • read the section about faults, deformation, strike and dip for completeness of information; there will be no questions out of this (page 195)
    • know "Oceanic crust forms along mid-ocean ridges"
    • know "Transform faults offset mid-ocean ridges"
    • know "Lithosphere is subducted along deep-sea trenches"
  4. Know "Plate Movements", including measuring the movement, hot spots, thermal plumes, etc.
Chapter 9 - Continental Tectonics and Mountain Chains

  1. Know "The Rifting of Continents"
  2. Skip "Bending and Flowing of Rocks"
  3. Know "Mountain Building" (but skip the sections "Mountain belts have a characteristic structure", "Compressive forces cause deformation", "The weight of a mountain belt creates a foreland basin")
  4. Stop at page 218
  5. Skip "Tectonics of Continental Interiors"

 
Study Guide: part 3 - LABLast Updated  •  September 13, 2019    

There will be no questions out of the lab manual for this test

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