Alessandro Grippo's earth Sciences pages

GEOL 5 - Earth History (with Lab)

Exam # 2 Study Guide - Fall 2012

exam date: Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Professor: Dr. Alessandro Grippo, Ph.D.

 
General InformationLast Updated  •  October 23, 2012   
PLEASE NOTE:
  • Only students who are enrolled in the class can take the test. If you are not enrolled YOU CAN NOT TAKE THE TEST.

  • You CAN NOT USE cellular phones, iPods, iPads, Kindles of any kind, 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 left on during test time, you will not be allowed to finish your test, your results will be invalidated and you will be reported to the college for disciplinary action.

  • You can not use any text, notes, dictionary, pocket calculator, flash card, or any other source of information than your brain. If you do, you will not be allowed to finish your test, your results will be invalidated and you will be reported to the college for disciplinary action.

  • 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 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 integrate your notes with the textbook, lab manual, and web pages materials, where some information that has been detailed in class is only mentioned briefly; 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 your lab manual); read the summary and exercise with the questions for review found at the end of each chapter on your textbook. Try to work with other fellow students if you find it useful.

  • Never hesitate to ask questions in class or during a lab.
Notom Road view

The Waterpocket Fold, in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.
Differential erosion at the front of this monocline is responsible for
the triangular facets in the dark red Triassic Moenkopi Formation

 
Study Guide: part 1 - readings from "Cradle of Life"Last Updated  •  October 23, 2012    

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

 
Study Guide: part 2 - LECTURELast Updated  •  October 23, 2012    

Chapter 3 - The Diversity of Life

  1. Know what fossils are and the main ways of fossilization
  2. Know the names of the six kingdoms of living things
  3. Know what Taxonomic Groups are
  4. Know what a Clade is
  5. Read for completeness of information and better understanding of present and future materials the paragraph "Identifying Clades and Their Relationships", even if I will not ask direct questions on them (except for the concept of species)
  6. Know the Paleontology pages on this web site (parts 1, 2, 3 and 4)
  7. Know the main organisms for each kingdom; in particular, know all of the Protista (coccolitophores, foraminifers, diatoms, radiolarians) in detail (they are basic constituents of certain pelagic (deep marine) rocks such as (microcrystalline) limestones and cherts. See also Chapter 2)
  8. Know the main evolutive stages of plants (nonvascular, vascular; spore, seeds; gymnosperms and angiosperms)
  9. Know the main geologic facts (if they are easily preserved in the fossil record, if they are common, what is preserved, the approximate time range in which they are important, etc.; there will be NO questions at this stage on the biology of these organisms) about sponges, corals, arthropods, trilobites, mollusks, brachiopods, bryozoans (please note that brachiopods and bryozoans are distinct from all other organisms), echinoderms, chordates.

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

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 pages 1, 2, 3, and 4 (parts 5, 6, and 7 will be included in the third test). Also, do not forget to check the illustrated stratigraphy page on the web.

  1. Know the Geologic Time Scale
  2. Know Stratigraphic Units
Stop here (page 136). The rest of this chapter will be on the third test.

Some concepts may have been discussed in class only. Refer to your notes. This is one of the most important chapters of the book. Expect detailed questions out of this, and be able to apply the concepts expressed in this section to chapters.


Chapter 11 will not be included in this test.

 
Study Guide: part 3 - LABLast Updated  •  October 23, 2012    

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 part I and part II lab keys.

  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 will not be included in this test. Still, the materials of Chapter 8 are also discussed on your textbook and online as part of this test. It might be useful to review the main concepts before the test
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