Alessandro grippo's earth Sciences pages

GEOL 5 - Earth History (with Lab)

Exam # 3 Study Guide - Spring 2018

exam date: Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Professor: Dr. Alessandro Grippo, Ph.D.

 
General InformationLast Updated  •  May 5, 2018    
A SPECIAL NOTE:
This exam is cumulative. It means that it will cover materials we have already seen in exams one and two. Materials from subsequent classes will NOT be in this test, except for those from "Fossil Ecosystem of North America"
As a result, I am copying the study guides for those two test below, with the appropriate variations.

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  •  March 25, 2018    

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

Materials from the following chapters will be in this test:

  • Introduction
  • The Gunflint Chert
  • Mistaken Point
  • The Burgess Shale
  • Beecher's Trilobite Bed
  • The Bertie Waterline
  • Gilboa
  • Mazon Creek
  • The Chinle Group

 
Study Guide: part 2 - LECTURELast Updated  •  May 5, 2018     

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
  4. Know all the textbook material (and your notes!) on igneous rocks (pages 35 to 38), and metamorphic rocks (page 45 to the chapter's end), 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)
  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).

    Make sure to integrate these materials with the Powerpoints on Chalk and Chert, on Sedimentary Rocks under the Microscope, and on Sedimentary Structures.

Chapter 3 - The Diversity of Life

Review the Paleontology powerpoints:

  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 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  •  May 5, 2018     

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 chapter 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 (see also the slides on sedimentary structures)
  6. Review "terms" (pages 9 and 10)

Chapter 2 - Textural Clues to the History of Sediment

  1. Know "Particle Size and Sorting"
  2. Know "Grain Shape"
  3. Stop at the bottom of page 13. 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)

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. Be able to work on a diagram such as that of Figure 3.4, page 21
  4. Know textures of sandstones
  5. 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)
  6. Review notes on sandstones and carbonates
  7. Review "Terms" (pages 26 and 27)
Make sure to check the key to this lab.

Study the Sedimentary Rocks under the Microscope Powerpoint

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