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Exam #1 Study Guide - Fall - 2024

The study guide for GEOL107 outlines key concepts from the course, emphasizing the dynamic nature of Earth over geological time. It covers essential topics including minerals, igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, and metamorphic rocks, detailing their definitions, classifications, and formation processes. Students are expected to understand various properties, types of rocks, and geological processes for the upcoming exam.

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9 views3 pages

Exam #1 Study Guide - Fall - 2024

The study guide for GEOL107 outlines key concepts from the course, emphasizing the dynamic nature of Earth over geological time. It covers essential topics including minerals, igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, and metamorphic rocks, detailing their definitions, classifications, and formation processes. Students are expected to understand various properties, types of rocks, and geological processes for the upcoming exam.

Uploaded by

benkolywork
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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GEOL107 Fall 2024 GEOLOGY OF DYNAMIC EARTH Study Guide for Exam #1

This guide contains in an outline/question format the important points that we have covered in the
lecture portion of the course, you will be expected to have an understanding of this material for an
exam. If you learn only one thing in the course, let it be this - the Earth is a dynamic planet - it is
constantly evolving; in terms of a human lifetime (say 100 years) it is hard to observe any differences,
however if we switch to a geologic time scale (thousands to millions of years) we see that the Earth has
changed dramatically.

Minerals - Chapter 2 in Physical Geology

Be able to define a mineral? Also know the difference between common materials that may be rocks,
but not minerals.

What are the eight most common elements in the earth's crust? For the most abundant ones, what are
the most common crystal forms and classes that results from combining these elements.

What is an ion? a cation? an anion?

Understand the various types of chemical bonds.


1) ionic bonds
2) covalent bonds
3) van der Waals bonds
4) metallic

Of ionic, covalent, and van der Waals bonds which is strongest? weakest? Which bond is associated
with the hardest minerals?

What is the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron? What is the net charge of an individual silicon-oxygen
tetrahedron?

Know the general classes of minerals such as silicates, carbonates, metals, etc.

What are native elements? Sulfur is an example of a native element

Know that minerals can be distinguished by their characteristic physical and chemical properties

1) crystal form
2) hardness (know Mohs scale of hardness)
3) cleavage
4) specific gravity (density)
5) color
6) streak
7) luster
8) fracture
Igneous Rocks and Volcanoes –Chapters 3 and 4 in Physical Geology

What is a rock?

On what basis are the three major rock groups subdivided?

What is the origin of an igneous rock and what two factors do we use to subdivide the igneous rocks?

What is magma?

What are the general characteristics of mafic (basaltic) and silicic (felsic) magmas?

What are the principal gases dissolved in magma?

What is viscosity? Know that the higher the viscosity the more violent the eruptive style.

What does the texture of an igneous rock tell you about its cooling history?

What do the terms phaneritic, aphanitic, porphyritic, vesicular, and glassy mean?

Understand the classification of igneous rocks (see Figure 3.5 and Table 3.1 in text)

In terms of classification, what is a granite, a rhyolite, a gabbro, a basalt, an andesite, a diorite, and a
peridotite? Think, major minerals, aphanitic or porphyritic, etc.

What are vesicles?

What are pyroclasts? What type of magma produces pyroclasts?

What is a shield volcano? a cinder cone? a composite volcano (stratovolcano)?

Which of these types of volcanoes are characterized by lava flows? pyroclasts? or both?

What is the difference between intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks?

What is the difference between a discordant, concordant, tabular, and a massive igneous rock body?

What is a batholith? a sill? a dike? a laccolith? Know their orientation and size!

What are the major factors that determine when and where a rock will begin to partially melt?

What is Bowen’s reaction series?

What is the last common mineral that crystallizes as a melt cools?


Sedimentary Rocks - Chapter 6 in Physical Geology

What are the origins for the sedimentary rocks?

What are clastic (detrital) sedimentary rocks? chemical sedimentary rocks? biochemical sedimentary
rocks?

How are the clastic (detrital) sedimentary rocks subdivided or classified?

What is a breccia, a conglomerate? a sandstone? a siltstone? a shale?

What are the three dominant sedimentary rock types found in the Earth's crust?

What is limestone? an evaporite? chert? coal?

How are limestones formed?

How are evaporites formed?

How is coal formed?

What are the major sedimentary depositional environments? Think of this in terms of energy and
deposition. The size of sediments transported is based on the forces applied. Some systems have
variable energy and, as a result can have deposits with a variety of grain sizes. The time involved in
transport is also important. A debris flow moves all sizes of sediments, quickly, but not far so
something like conglomerates display these erosion/deposition factors.

What general types of sedimentary deposits/rocks are found at each of the major
sedimentary depositional environments? Consider beaches, rivers, lakes, alluvial fans,
marshes/swamps, deltas.

Metamorphic Rocks - Chapter 7 in Physical Geology

How metamorphic rocks formed and how are they subdivided?

Where does metamorphism occur?

What is foliation?

What is the difference between slate, phyllite, schist, gneiss? What is marble? Quartzite?

Know that the metamorphic grade is determined by the temperature and pressure at which rocks are
metamorphosed

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