Download Midterm 1 study guide

Geology 300
Spring 2017, TTh 5:30 – 6:50pm
Midterm 1 Review
Chapters 1-5, 17
 Multiple choice questions (approx. forty-five) will be drawn from quizzes 1, 2, and 3.
 Fill-in and word matching questions will be included (approx. sixteen). (subject matter similar to the
multiple choice questions)
 Illustrations questions (approx. fourteen) will be included. You will need to understand and…
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Recognize the three plate boundary types.
Be able to name the parts of an atom.
Recognize the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron. (similar to fig 2.10)
Name, in a properties chart, the three basic intrusive/extrusive igneous rock pairs.
Recognize a sketch of one of the three types of volcanoes.
Name six intrusive and extrusive igneous features. (dike, sill, flood basalts, pluton, laccolith, volcano)
Recognize the two types of volcanic chains formed at ocean-ocean and ocean-continent subduction
zones. (island arc and continental arc)
Recognize a talus slope (similar to fig 5.8)
Recognize exfoliation (similar to fig 5.7)
In a sketch of a mountain stream and flood plain, name likely areas of: residual soil, transported soil,
flood deposits, and absence of soil. (similar to fig 5.19)
Recognize and name the two uppermost soil horizons. (similar to fig 5.18)
Recognize the S-wave shadow zone (similar to fig 17.10)
Identify the inner and outer core, mantle, asthenosphere, lithosphere, and crust
Understand isostatic balance in Earth’s crust (similar to fig 17.17)
 The exam will include four short essay questions/answers. You will have a short list of topics from
which to choose. That shortened list of possible topics will be taken from the following long list.
Give complete answers. Use examples and sketches where needed or helpful (sketches
must include labels).
Chapter 1, Intro
Why is science education (including geology) valuable to everyone’s general education?
Contrast rapid geologic events with slow geologic events. Give examples.
Explain the theory of plate tectonics, including the different types of plate boundaries. (sketch
needed)
Name & explain the two heat engines that drive the Earth’s processes. (sketch needed)
Describe and sketch each of the three major parts of Earth’s interior. (sketch needed)
Describe the scientific method, including the difference between a hypothesis and a theory.
Chapter 2, Minerals
What is an isotope, and how might an isotope be used in geology? (sketch needed)
What is the “silicon-oxygen tetrahedron”, and what is its importance? (sketch needed)
By definition, what is a mineral?
Describe an atom and its parts, and describe how atoms combine. (sketch needed)
What are the three most common elements in the Earth’s crust? What are the next five most
common elements?
What properties are used to identify minerals? Approximately 13 properties are common; name
and describe as many as you can. (sketch needed)
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Compiled by: Arthur Reed
Last Saved: February 5, 2017
Print Date: February 5, 2017
Chapter 3, Igneous Rocks
Draw and label the following intrusive structures: diapir, batholith, volcanic neck, dike, sill. (sketch
needed)
Give the names of the intrusive and extrusive forms of a mafic magma, intermediate magma, and a
felsic magma.
Generally, what type (composition) of magma is produced at divergent plate boundaries, and what
type (composition) of magma is produced at ocean/continent plate boundaries? (sketch needed)
How is texture important for determining the cooling history of igneous rocks? (sketch needed)
How can you determine that an igneous rock is intrusive?
What is the relationship between plate tectonic boundaries and igneous rock formation? (sketch
needed)
Chapter 4, Volcanism
Name, describe, and draw three types of volcanoes. (sketch needed)
Describe the relationship between type of magma and the resulting volcanic eruption.
Why are Hawaiian volcanoes generally less dangerous than continental volcanoes?
How do pillow lavas form? Where would you expect to find them forming today? What significance
might be accorded their discovery on a continent? (sketch needed)
What is viscosity? What factors control the viscosity of a lava?
What are plateau basalts? Where to they exist in the United States? (sketch needed)
What gases are released during a volcanic eruption? What igneous rock texture is formed from gas
bubbles?
Describe a caldera and how it is formed. (sketch needed)
Chapter 5, Weathering
Describe the difference and cite examples illustrating the difference between mechanical and
chemical weathering.
Describe the factors that influence the rate of chemical weathering?
Describe the weathering of granite.
Describe the weathering of limestone.
Why does weathering of rock occur?
How are each of the ‘spheres’ (hydrosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere, biosphere) involved in
weathering?
Chapter 17, Earth’s Interior
Explain the difference between seismic reflection and refraction. (sketch needed)
Draw the paths of P and S waves through the Earth. Show the structures of Earth’s interior and show
the location of both types of seismic shadow zones. (sketch needed)
Explain isostasy. (sketch needed)
Explain and give examples of gravity anomalies. (sketch needed)
Explain the relationship between erosion and isostatic adjustment in the life cycle of a mountain range.
(sketch needed)
Page 2 of 3
Compiled by: Arthur Reed
Last Saved: February 5, 2017
Print Date: February 5, 2017