GEOL 1301 Fall 2024 Final Exam Study Guide KEY PDF

# GEOL 1301 Intro to Earth Sciences Final Exam Study Guide ## Exam Format: - Part 1 Multiple Choice - 60 questions - Part 2 Long Answer & Concept Sketches - 2 questions - Part 3 Fill in the Blank - 6-10 questions ## Chapter 1: Matter and Minerals 1. What are the 5 characteristics that define a m...

# GEOL 1301 Intro to Earth Sciences Final Exam Study Guide ## Exam Format: - Part 1 Multiple Choice - 60 questions - Part 2 Long Answer & Concept Sketches - 2 questions - Part 3 Fill in the Blank - 6-10 questions ## Chapter 1: Matter and Minerals 1. What are the 5 characteristics that define a mineral? - Naturally occurring - Orderly crystalline structure - Solid substance - Generally inorganic - Definite chemical composition 2. Describe the following properties used in mineral identification: 1. Color - An obvious mineral characteristic that is unreliable as a diagnostic property 2. Streak - The color of a mineral in powder form 3. Crystal Shape/Habit - Common shape of a crystal 4. Harness - Resistance of a mineral to scratching 5. Cleavage - The tendency of a mineral to break along planes of weak bonding. 3. What is the least reliable property for mineral identification and why? - Color, the same mineral can come in many colors 4. What are the two most abundance elements in the Earth's crust? - Silicon & oxygen ## Chapter 2: Rocks: Materials of the Solid Earth 5. What is mechanical weathering? Give 3 examples of mechanical weathering. - Physical disintegration of a rock. Frost wedging, salt crystal growth, Sheeting, root growth 6. What is chemical weathering? - The process by which the internal structure of a mineral is altered by removal or addition of elements 7. What is the most important agent of chemical weathering? - Water 8. What are two examples of products of chemical weathering? - Ions in solution - Clay minerals 9. Describe the difference between felsic and mafic compositions. - Felsic - Light colored minerals - Mafic - Dark colored minerals 10. What is the most common igneous rock of the crust and also a major component of the seafloor? - Basalt 11. What are clastic sedimentary rocks? - Rocks formed from clasts or small particles cemented together 12. What are two features of sedimentary rocks? - Strata (bedding) - Fossils ## Chapter 3: Plate Tectonics 13. What is Alfred Wegener's Continental Drift hypothesis? Describe two pieces of evidence he used to form his hypothesis. - Continental Drift - Continents moved around /didn't stay in place - Evidence: - Continental Jigsaw Puzzle - Fossils matching across the seas - Ancient climates 14. What type of plate boundaries are found along the crests of mid ocean ridges? - Divergent ocean-ocean boundary 15. Along which type of plate boundaries would you find a trench? - Convergent/subduction zones - Ocean-ocean or ocean-continent 16. Draw a cross-section of the Earth that shows an oceanic-oceanic plate boundary, mid-ocean ridge, and ocean-continental boundary. Label the features and types of crust. - The diagram should include the following: - Ocean - Trench - Ridge - Continent 17. What is a transform plate boundary? What is the name of the famous transform fault in California? - Two plates slide past one another without creating or destroying lithosphere - San Andreas Fault 18. What are two new pieces of evidence that explain the development of the theory of Plate Tectonics? - Hot Spots - Hotspots maintain a fixed position in the mantle so a chain of volcanic structures/hot spot track is only possible with plate motion above it. - Paleomagnetism - Polar wandering proves that the poles stayed in place & continents drifted beneath them. ## Chapter 4: Earthquakes and Mountain Building 19. What is seismology? - The study of earthquakes & seismic waves 20. What is the name of the instrument used to measure earthquakes? - Seismograph or seismometer 21. List and describe the 3 types of differential stress and what plate boundary is associated with each. - Compression - Squeezing, convergent - Tension - Pulling, divergent - Shear-sliding - transform 22. What is brittle deformation? - When a rock breaks or permanently bends 23. What is ductile deformation? - Change in shape without breaking 24. Label the diagram below with the Earth's layers. Label the crust, mantle, outer core, inner core, asthenosphere. - The diagram should include the following: - Crust - Mantle - Outer core - Inner core - Asthenosphere 25. What is the difference between the inner and outer core? - Inner core is solid & outer core is liquid ## Chapter 5: Volcanoes and Igneous Activity 26. What are volatiles? - Dissolved gases in magmas 27. What affect does increasing gases in lava have on its viscosity? - As gas content increases, viscosity increases 28. Explain the characteristics of shield volcanoes, cinder cones, and composite volcanoes. - **Shield:** - Broad, low gradient - Basaltic lava flows - No/low pyroclastics - **Cinder Cones:** - Steep gradient, small - Mostly scoria (ejected basaltic lava fragments) - High pyroclastics (small lava flows) - **Composite:** - Large, steep gradient - Alternating pyroclastics & lava flows - Usually silica-rich Andesite composition ## Chapter 6: Landscapes Fashioned by Water 29. Label the image below with headwaters and mouth. Then, explain how the stream's discharge, gradient, and channel type changes as it flows from the headwaters to the mouth. - The image should include the following: - Headwaters - Mouth - As a stream changes from headwaters to mouth: - Gradient decreases - Discharge increases - Channel size increases 30. Label the image below with: Suspended load, dissolved load, saltation, bedload, rolling, and sliding. - The image should include the following: - Dissolved load (invisible) - Suspended load (silt/clay) - Saltation (barricading) - Bedload - Sliding - Rolling 31. Explain what the difference between dissolved load and suspended load is. - Dissolved load - Chemicals/ions in solution that do not settle out - Suspended load - Small particles carried by stream's velocity ## Chapter 7: Glacial and Arid Landscapes 32. What is an ephemeral stream? What type of environment is it found in? - A stream that is usually dry because it carries water only in response to episodes of rainfall, found in deserts. 33. How does desert pavement form? - Smaller particles are removed by deflation & sand grains are transported via saltation leaving behind large pebbles & cobbles. ## Chapter 8: Geologic Time 34. What is loess? - Deposits of windblown silt 35. What is an unconformity? - A surface that represents a break in the rock record created by erosion or non-deposition 36. What is radiometric dating? - The procedure of calculating the absolute age of rocks & minerals that contain radioactive isotopes 37. Define the principles below: - **Principle of Fossil Succession:** - Fossils succeed one another in a definite and determinable order, any time period can be defined by its fossil content. - **Principle of Superposition:** - In an undeformed sequence of sedimentary rocks, each bed is older than the one above & younger than the one below. - **Principle of Original Horizontality:** - Layers of sedimentary rock are generally deposited in a horizontal position. - **Principle of Lateral Continuity:** - Sedimentary beds originate as continuous layers that extend in all directions until they grade out. - **Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships:** - Geologic features that cut across rocks must form after the rocks they cut through. ## Chapter 9: Oceans 38. Label the figure below with continental, shelf, slope, break, submarine canyon, deep sea fan, abyssal plain. - The image should include the following: - Continental - Shelf - Slope - Break - Submarine Canyon - Deep Sea Fan - Abyssal Plain 39. Explain the relationship between the density of seawater with changes in salinity and temperature. - As salinity increases, density of seawater increases. - As temperature increases, density of seawater decreases. - Densest water - Cold, salty water. - Least dense water - Warm, fresh water. ## Chapter 10: The Restless Ocean 40. What is a tide? What causes a tide? - Daily changes in elevation of the ocean surface. - Tidal bulge is caused by the gravitational pull of the moon. 41. For the features below, state whether that are erosional or depositional. - Wave cliff - Erosional - Wave-cut platform - Erosional - Marine terrace - Erosional - Spit - Depositional - Baymouth bar - Depositional - Barrier island - Depositional - Tombolo - Depositional - Sea arch - Erosional 42. What is a gyre? - Large, circular surface-current pattern found in ocean ## Chapter 11: Heating the Atmosphere 43. Define the 3 mechanisms of heat transfer and give an example of each: - **Conduction:** Transfer of heat through matter by molecular activity. Example: Metal pan for cooking - **Convection:** Transfer of heat by movement of mass or substance. Example: Hot water circulating in cold water. - **Radiation:** Transfer of heat through space by electromagnetic waves. Example: Sun heating Earth's surface. 44. What are the two most abundant greenhouse gases in the atmosphere? - Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - Water Vapor (H2O) 45. What is a solstice? - Shortest (winter) & longest (summer) day of the year where Sun's rays directly hit the Tropic of Capricorn (winter) or Cancer (summer) 46. What is an equinox? - Day when Sun directly hits the equator & day and night are equal 12 hrs. 47. Sketch the relative location of Earth and Sun during the four seasons. Include angle of tilt, dates, and important lines of latitude: - The image should include the following: - Spring Equinox (Sun @ Equator, March 21-22) - Summer Solstice (Sun @ Tropic of Cancer 23.5°N, June 21-22) - Fall Equinox (Sun @ Equator, September 21-23) - Winter Solstice (Sun vertical @ Tropic of Capricorn 23.5°S, December 21-22) 48. What is albedo? - The fraction of radiation reflected by an object 49. Label the layers of the atmosphere below. - The image should include the following: - Troposphere - Stratosphere - Mesosphere - Thermosphere 50. Why is the ozone layer beneficial to humans? - Protects humans from harmful UV radiation ## Chapter 12: Moisture, Clouds, and Precipitation 51. What process converts solid water directly into water vapor? - Sublimation 52. What process converts water vapor directly into solid ice? - Deposition 53. What is dry adiabatic rate? - The rate of adiabatic cooling or warming in unsaturated air. 54. Label the types of clouds shown in the image below. - The image should include the following: - Cirrus - Cirrostratus - Cirrocumulus - Altostratus - Altocumulus - Cumulonimbus - Nimbostratus - Cumulus - Stratocumulus - Stratus 55. What type of cloud has vertical development? - Cumulonimbus 56. What is fog? - A cloud with its base at, or very near, the ground 57. What is dew point? - The temperature at which a parcel of air must be cooled to the point of condensation 58. What is an adiabatic temperature change? - Temperature change from pressure changes with no heat energy lost or gained ## Chapter 13: The Atmosphere in Motion 59. Wind moves from areas of ___high___ pressure to areas of ___low___ pressure. 60. What is the name of the instrument that measures air pressure? - Barometer 61. What is the Coriolis effect? Which way does it deflect in the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere? - The deflective force of Earth's rotation on all free-moving objects, including the atmosphere and oceans. - In the Western Hemisphere, it deflects to the right, and in the Southern Hemisphere, it deflects to the left. 62. Explain what a sea breeze is and how it forms. - A local wind blowing from the sea towards land during the afternoon in coastal areas. 63. Explain what a land breeze is and how it forms. - A local wind that blows from land towards the water during the night in coastal areas 64. What is the name of the instrument used to measure wind direction? - Wind vane ## Chapter 14: Weather Patterns and Severe Weather 65. Complete the table below about air masses. | Air Mass | Abbreviation | Latitude or Source Region | |---|---|---| | Polar | P | High Latitudes/Poles | | Arctic | A | High Latitudes/Poles | | Tropical | T | Low Latitudes/Equator | | Continental | C | Land| | Maritime | m | Water| 66. Write the abbreviation used to identify the five basic types of air masses listed below: - Continental polar (CP) - Continental arctic (CA) - Continental tropical (CT) - Maritime polar (mP) - Maritime tropic (mT) 67. In a warm front, ___warm___ air replaces ___cool____ air. 68. In a cold front, ___cold___ air replaces ___warm___ air. 69. What type of clouds produce thunderstorms? - Cumulonimbus 70. What are hurricanes called in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean? - Western Pacific - Typhoons - Indian Ocean - Cyclones 71. Where in a hurricane does the greatest wind speed occur? - Eye wall ## Chapter 15: The Solar System 72. List the major findings from each scientist below: - **Claudius Ptolemy:** Geocentric model of universe, used orbits & epicycles to explain retrograde motion. - **Johannes Kepler:** 3 Laws of Planetary Motion, elliptical orbit - **Nicolaus Copernicus:** 1st heliocentric model of solar system - **Tyco Brahe:** Stellar parallax - didn't fit Copernicus' heliocentric model - **Isaac Newton:** Inertia & Law of Universal Gravitation 73. What were the five discoveries of Galileo Galilei? - Jupiter's 4 largest satellites/moons - Planets are spheres rather than porous. - Venus exhibits phases like the Moon. - Moon's surface is not smooth. - Sun has sunspots 74. What is retrograde motion? - Periodically, planets appear to stop, reverse direction for weeks or months, then resume forward motion. 75. What is a geocentric model? - Earth-centered model of universe 76. What is a heliocentric model? - Sun-centered model of universe 77. Complete the table below for terrestrial and Jovian planets: | Planets | Terrestrial | Jovian | |---|---|---| | Mercury | Jupiter | | Venus | Saturn | | Earth | Uranus | | Mars | Neptune | | Interiors | Terrestrial | Jovian | |---|---|---| | | Dense, large cores composed of mainly iron & nickel | Small, solid cores made of iron compounds | | Atmospheres | Terrestrial | Jovian | |---|---|---| | | Smaller atmosphere, dominated by carbon dioxide or nitrogen | Thick atmospheres of hydrogen & helium | 78. What is the relationship between a planet's distance from the Sun and its period of revolution? - The further away a planet is from the Sun, the longer it takes to revolve around the Sun. 79. Which planet has evidence of flowing water on the surface? - Mars ## Chapter 16: Beyond Our Solar System 80. What is lunar regolith? - A thin, gray layer on the surface of the Moon consisting of loosely compacted, fragmented material formed by meteor impacts 81. What are the two types of terrain found on the moon? (Hint: one is dark and one is light.) - Lunar Maria - dark, smooth surface of the Moon, regions of basalt - Lunar Highlands - light-colored areas, heavily cratered and composed of breccia 82. What is a lightyear: - Distance light travels in one year 83. Label the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram below. Include the axis labels, as well as white dwarfs, giants, supergiants, and main-sequence stars. - The image should include the following: - Luminosity - Surface Temp - White dwarfs - Main-sequence stars - Giants - Supergiants 84. What is a supernova? - An exploding star that increases in brightness many thousands of times 85. What is a white dwarf? When it cools into a burnt-out ember what is it called? - Small, extremely dense star at the end of a star's life. It becomes a black dwarf. 86. How does a black hole form? - Form from the collapse of a supernova. 87. List and describe the three types of galaxies. - **Spiral Galaxy:** Arms extending from nucleus - **Elliptical Galaxy:** Ellipsoidal shaped, larger than spiral. - **Irregular Galaxy:** Lacks symmetry & contains mostly young stars 88. What galaxy do we live in? What type of galaxy is it? - Milky Way, Spiral 89. What is a galaxy cluster? - Group of galaxies 90. According to the Big Bang Theory, when was our universe created? - 13.8 billion years ago