Alessandro Grippo's earth Sciences pages

GEOL 5 - Earth History (with Lab)

Exam # 2 Study Guide - Spring 2013

exam date: Thursday, April 25, 2013

Professor: Dr. Alessandro Grippo, Ph.D.

 
General InformationLast Updated  •  April 20, 2013   
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  •  April 20, 2013    

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  •  April 20, 2013    

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 parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and "event stratigraphy" on part 6 (the rest of part 6 and part 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
  3. Skip, for now (it will be on test 3) Earth's Absolute Age (pages 136 to 142)
  4. Know Event Stratigraphy (only from page 142 to 144, stop before "Unconformities can be detected by Seismic Stratigraphy" (it will be on test 3)
All the materials from this chapter that have been skipped or that are not listed above will be part of 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.

Remember to review your notes from the movie "Fossil Lake" about the Green River formation in Wyoming.


 
Study Guide: part 3 - LABLast Updated  •  April 20, 2013    

Chapter 3 - Sedimentary Rocks under the Microscope

  1. You will not be asked to identify a rock under the microscope, BUT:
  2. Know the introduction ("Basic Information": know what thin sections and acetate peels are, but I will not ask you how to prepare an acetate peel)
  3. Know textures of sandstones
  4. Know textures of carbonate rocks (be sure to know Folk's classification, including the three components grains, cement and matrix; know the four major types of grains, as from page 23 of your lab manual; know how this classification differs from Dunham's (on the same page, and also in Table 3.2), and know the difference between micrite and sparite)
Make sure to check the key to this lab.


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 - Rock Units and Time-Rock Units
This lab reviews the basic concepts of correlation. Be sure to review the key to the lab on the web.

  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. Skip Absolute Age Determination (this part will be on the next test)
  4. Know Formations of the Colorado Plateau

Chapter 9 will not be included in this test. Still, the materials of Chapter 9 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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