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Geology 101 Name: Homework assignment 1 Due in class on by e-­‐mail Monday, October 7, 5 p.m. Though homework assignments can and should be discussed in a study group, the answers you submit must be in your own words. 1. Besides curiosity, what two reasons do humans study geology? 2. How does the crust/mantle classification of the Earth differ from the lithosphere/asthenosphere classification? 3. In the rock cycle, can sedimentary rocks turn into…sedimentary rocks? If not, explain why not. If so, describe the steps in the process that allow that transformation. 4. Figure 1.17 in the text shows the Geologic Time Scale (actually, all geology textbooks will show this scale). How are the boundaries between the time “chunks” defined (for instance, between the Permian and Triassic periods)? 5. What is “Glossopteris” and how is it significant to the theory of continental drift? 6. Should the continental shelf be considered part of the continental plate or part of the oceanic plate? What evidence can you find in chapter 2 that supports your answer? 7. Figure 2.13 in the text shows “polar wandering” – the idea that the magnetic poles of the Earth have not always been where they are today. What geologic evidence supports such a fantastic notion?