Physical Geology GEOS 115 - Fall 2005
Exam Review
Exam 1 = Monday, Oct. 3rd
Format - 50 pts
25 - 30 multiple choice
1 - 3 simple sketches
Topics Covered On Exam
Origins
- Universe, Solar System, & Earth
Earth Structure
& Composition
Continental Drift
Plate Tectonics
Minerals
Rocks & the
Rock Cycle
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary
Rocks
Metamorphic
Rocks
Review questions
How does the earth’s magnetic field provide evidence for
plate tectonics?
What was Wegener’s evidence for continental drift?
What are the three layers that make up the internal structure of earth, and
what are they composed of?
What is the evidence for the “Big Bang”?
Why is it difficult to apply the scientific method to a historical science
like geology?
What internal feature of earth makes it such a dynamic place……causing
volcanoes, earthquakes, etc.?
What are the mechanisms that drive the movement of the lithospheric
plates.
Why do minerals have specific physical properties?
Where are the two places on earth where magma is likely to form?
What are the two properties exhibited by igneous rocks that indicate clues
about the origins of the rock?
What are the two types of weathering?
What are some of the differences between the texture and composition
of igneous and sedimentary rocks?
Why was continental drift rejected?
Why is the earth layered?
What is a mineral?
What are the two chemical categories of silicate minerals, and why are silicates
the most common minerals?
What are some of the major things that happen in the Bowen’s Reaction
Series as a magma cools down?
Name and describe the processes involved in the formation of a sedimentary
rock.
What are some of the major differences between a clastic and biochemical sedimentary
rock?
What types of information can geologists read from sedimentary rocks?
What are the processes involved in the lithification of sediments to sedimentary
rock?
How are chemical sedimentary rocks different from clastic rocks?
What types of minerals tend to weather the most quickly?
What types of information can geologists read from sedimentary rocks?
What does the texture of an igneous rock indicate about the origins of that
rocks?
What are the four agents of sediment transport? What properties of the sediment
could provide clues about transport?
What is some of the modern evidence for plate tectonics (hint: what types
of maps did you look at for the plate tectonics lab)?
What are the locations on earth where heat from the outer core can melt earth
materials to produce magma?
If continents do not drift how do they move?
What are the mechanisms that cause the plates to move?
How does an igneous rock get a porphyritic texture?
How can mechanical weathering enhance chemical weathering?
What characteristic of the silicate minerals in a gabbro make it so much darker
in color than a granite?
What is the basic structural unit of the silicate minerals called (the one
with 4oxygens and 1 silica), and which has more silica, a framework silicate
mineral or a double chain?
Why do minerals occur as crystals?
What keeps the individual elements together in a chemical compound like a
mineral?
What happens when continental crust plugs up a subduction zone?
Where in the ocean basins would you find the youngest and the oldest ocean
crust?
What are the differences between the lithosphere and the asthenosphere?
Why does the earth have a magnetic field?
What are the 4 parts of the earth system? Do the parts interact, and is the
system open or closed? Explain.
Why did the nebula that became our solar system begin to rotate more rapidly
before becoming a disk?
What are some of the major differences between igneous and metamorphic
rocks?
What are the agents or processes that lead to metamorphism, what does each
one of them do, and how is it possible to get changes in mineral content occurring
while the rock is still solid?
Draw a very simple sketch of the three types of plate boundaries. Label the types and use arrows to indicate direction of plate movement. Also indicate where crust in being created, destroyed, or remains unchanged
check back again as
I will be adding questions until .........Wed. Oct. 1st
e-mail me
leonardk@mnstate.edu if you have any problems
Exam 2= Monday, Nov. 21st
Format - 50 pts
25 - 30 multiple choice
1 - 3 simple sketches
Topics Covered On Exam
The
Hydrologic Cycle
Soils & Mass
Wasting/Mass Movement
Streams
Groundwater
Glaciers &
Glaciation
Volcanoes
Earthquakes
Mountains &
Structures