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GEOL 5 - Earth History (with Lab)

Exam # 1 Study Guide - Fall 2014

exam date: Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Professor: Dr. Alessandro Grippo, Ph.D.

 
General InformationLast Updated  •  March 12, 2015    
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 "Cradle of Life", 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 "Cradle of Life"Last Updated  •  March 12, 2015    

There will be a few questions out of William Schopf's book, Cradle of Life.
Refer to the familiar assignments list for a review.

Only the Prologue, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 will be part of this test.

 
Study Guide: part 2 - LECTURELast Updated  •  March 12, 2015     
Chapter 1 - Earth as a System
Study the whole chapter;

  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
    • learn the names and the numerical age of Eons (Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic and Phanerozoic) and Eras (Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic), as from figure 1-11 on page 12
    • from that same figure, learn the names (but not the numerical age yet) of the Periods of the Paleozoic (Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous {which is further subdivided into Mississippian and Pennsylvanian, but only in North America} and Permian), Mesozoic (Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous) and Cenozoic (Paleogene and Neogene); for this test, you do NOT need to memorize the Epochs of the Cenozoic
    • 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
  4. Know all the textbook material on igneous and metamorphic rocks, and pay special attention to sedimentary rocks, including sedimentary structures. (do not forget to integrate the materials on sedimentary rocks from the textbook with those from the lab manual. See below under "Study Guide: part 3 - LAB")
  5. Remember the discussion of pelagic chemical (limestones and cherts) and non-chemical (red clays) sediments, and their origin (see also Chapter 3). In particular, review your notes on the C.C.D. (Carbonate Compensation Depth).
    Know the names of the planktonic organisms involved (coccolithophorids, foraminifers, diatoms, and radiolarians: which is which, in terms of phytoplankton/zooplankton and in terms of calcareous vs. siliceous shell).

Chapter 8 - The Theory of Plate Tectonics

  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 "Lithsophere 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  •  March 12, 2015     

Chapter 1 - Sedimentary Rocks in Hand Sample

You will NOT be asked to identify rock samples for this test.

  1. Know the introduction to the chapter ("Basic Information")
  2. Know "The texture of sedimentary rocks" (integrate this chapetr with your class notes and your main textbook
  3. Know the rock names and diagnostic features, as from Table 1.1A, page 5
  4. Know what matrix and cements are; be aware that, together with grains and pores they make up for the possible four components of a clastic sedimentary rock or sediment
  5. Know about hardness, color and bedding
  6. Review "terms" (pages 9 amd 10)

Chapter 2 - Textural Clues to the History of Sediment

  1. Know "Particle Size and Sorting"
  2. Know "Grain Shape"
  3. Skip "Size distribution of coarse gravel" (there will be no questions on this paragraph)
  4. Review "Questions for Discussion" (page 17)
  5. Review "Terms" (page 18)

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