Alessandro Grippo's earth Sciences pages

GEOL 5 - Earth History (with Lab)

Exam # 2 Study Guide - Fall 2010

exam date: Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Professor: Dr. Alessandro Grippo, Ph.D.

 
General InformationLast Updated  •  October 27, 2010   
PLEASE NOTE:
Cellular phones, iPods, Blackberries, Bluetooth devices, headphones, computers or, in general, ANY KIND of electronic device CAN NOT be used during the test. All electronic devices MUST BE TURNED OFF: if a cell phone rings or a device is turned on in the classroom during test time, you will not be allowed to finish your test and your result will be invalidated.

You can not use any dictionary, translator, pocket calculator, flash card, or any external source of information. There will be no need for a ruler during this test. No hoods, hats, or anything that hides your ears will be allowed.

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.
It is YOUR personal responsability to cover the materials listed in this online study guide

  • on the lecture textbook
  • on the lab textbook
  • on "Cradle of Life"
  • on the web pages
  • 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 others if you find it useful.
Never hesitate to ask me questions in class or during a lab.

ammonites
Jurassic ammonites from the Ammonitic Red Formation (Italian Alps)
used as a decorative stone in Bologna, Italy

 
Study Guide: part 1 - readings from "Cradle of Life"Last Updated  •  October 27, 2010   

There will be some questions out of William Schopf's book, Cradle of Life.

Refer to the familiar assignments for a thorough review of the materials you need to know.

Only chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 will be included in the test.

 
Study Guide: part 2 - LECTURELast Updated  •  October 27, 2010   
Chapter 4 - Environments and Life

  1. Know the basic facts about ecology
  2. Know about the atmosphere: its composition, patterns of air circulation on both a non-rotating and a rotating earth with no land masses; know what the Coriolis effect is, how it works, and why; know the main wind patterns (trade winds, westerlies, polar easterlies) and their direction
  3. Know the web materials on oceanography, and in particular know about:
    • surface currents
    • deep currents
    • the pycnocline, the halocline, the thermocline
    • the oxygen curve and the nutrient curve
    • the photic zone
  4. Know the main Terrestrial Environments; be aware of climate change with altitude and not only with latitude
  5. Know about the Marine Realm: again, the differences between the surface, wind-driven currents and the deep, density-driven currents; know the patterns of surface ocean currents; know about the California current and the Gulf Stream; know about Equatorial currents and the West Wind Drift; know the basics about tides and the intertidal, subtidal (p.97) and supratidal zones
  6. Know the physiography of ocean bottoms, along passive and active continental margin (know the difference between a continental margin and a plate boundary!): shelf, slope, rise, abyssal plain, etc.; again, know what the photic zone is and its approximate depth in meters
  7. Know about marine life, and what plankton, nekton and benthos are; know about the influence of salinity and temperature of ocean waters on life; know about food webs
  8. Know the Freshwater Environments
  9. Know about orbital variations and their influence on climate change (this part has also been discussed in more detail in the Stratigraphy section (Chapter 6) and on the web page (cyclostratigraphy)

Chapter 5 - Sedimentary Environments
You need to know the main characteristics of all sedimentary environments, and be able to reason in terms of what sediments (and, as a consequence, what sedimentary rocks) characterize each one of these environments. Do not simply think of the lithology but, when possible, reason also with such parameters as color, sedimentary structures, compositional maturity, roundness, sorting, sequences, etc. Take into account the concepts expressed by Walther's Law. This means, as you know, that if you have a sequence of pelagic limestones and shales, you can not suddenly find a continental deposit (the sequence changes step by step, from one environment to the next); if you find a sudden change in the sequence, it very likely implies the presence of an unconformity. An unconformity means a time gap: something is missing, whether it was never deposited (paraconformity) or it was deposited and subsequently eroded (the other three unconformities).

  1. Know the introduction
  2. Know Nonmarine Environments
  3. Know Marginal Marine and Open Shelf Environments
  4. Know Deep-Sea Environments

Chapter 6 - Correlation and Dating of the Rock Record
This paragraph is fully integrated by the web pages on stratigraphy. Be sure to study all of them. Also, do not forget to check the illustrated stratigraphy page on the web.

  1. Know the Geologic Time Scale
  2. Know Stratigraphic Units
  3. Know Earth's Absolute Age
    There will be no questions on the three modes of radioactive decay (page 137) and on the specifics of U/Th, U/He, Rb/Sr, K/Ar and Ar/Ar dating (pages 138 and 139).
    Do study U/Pb and radiocarbon dating and, of course, the rest of the section (including the 86Sr/87Sr graph of Figure 6.12, page 142).
  4. Know Event Stratigraphy
Some concepts may have been discussed in class only. Refer to your notes.
 
Study Guide: part 3 - LABLast Updated  •  October 27, 2010   

Chapter 4 - Ancient Sedimentary Environments
This chapter reviews chapter 5 on your textbook, with the addition of Sedimentary Structures and Color, that we have seen in previous chapters. Be sure to review the illustrations on the sedimentary structures and color page on the web.

  1. Know Environments of Deposition
  2. Know Bedding and Related Features
  3. Know Color

Chapter 5 - Tectonic Setting
This is the most complex lab among the ones that will be on the test. Be sure to review the lab key.

  1. Know Tectonic Settings
  2. Know the Tectonic Setting - Sedimentary Rock Connection
  3. Know Facies and Association of Beds
  4. Know Summary of Association and Settings
  5. Be prepared to answer questions on the style of those of the lab

Chapter 6 - Sea-Floor Spreading and Plate Tectonics

Skip this chapter. This lab will be included in the next test. There will be no questions out of this chapter on this test.


Chapter 7 - Age Relations and Unconformities
This lab reviews the basic concepts of relative dating and of unconformities. Be sure to review the illustrated unconformities page on the web.

  1. Know Criteria for Age Relations
  2. Skip The Method of Multiple Working Hypotheses
  3. Know Unconformity
  4. Skip Episodes of Precambrian History

Chapter 8 - Rock Units and Time-Rock Units
This lab reviews the basic concepts of correlation.

  1. Know the Introduction
    • know how to operate with the different units (rock units, time-rock units, time units, biostratigraphic units, etc.)
    • know what rock units, or Formations, are
    • know what fossils are
    • know how to correlate (in this case, but also in general, as from textbook chapter 6)
  2. Know the Standard Geologic Column
  3. Know Absolute Age Determination (stop at page 78, before "study questions" BUT be able to work with fig 8.6 A only - upper left on page 80, which will be discussed before the test)
  4. Read Formations of the Colorado Plateau

Chapter 9 - Ancient Shorelines

  1. Know what paleogegraphy is, and how it is possible to reconstruct it with the aid of isopach maps; what isopach lines are; how an isopach map is different from a facies map
  2. Know what a facies is
  3. Be sure to understand what a map such as that of fig. 9.1 page 86 means and how it works; know the answer to, among others, question 2 on the same page
  4. Know what transgression and regression are
  5. Know what Walther's Law says
  6. Know what formations and groups are (rock units, or lithostratigraphic units; see also lab manual chapter 8 and your textbook)

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