Study Guide for GEOL 1014-24534: Exam #1

Chapter 1: Terms you must know about geology

Parts of the Earth: know the term and the general properties of the following.
Crust- outermost layer of a planet.

Asthenosphere- the upper layer of the earth's mantle, below the lithosphere, in which there is relatively
low resistance to plastic flow and convection is thought to occur.

Mantle- believed to consist of hot, dense silicate rocks (mainly peridotite).

Lithosphere- the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle

Outer core-thick and composed of mostly iron and nickel that lies above Earth's solid inner core

Inner core- a solid sphere in the middle of the fluid core such as the iron-nickel core of the Earth.

Earth’s spheres: know the components and how the spheres interact
Atmosphere- the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth; the air.

Hydrosphere- all the waters on the earth's surface, such as lakes and seas, and sometimes including
water over the earth's surface, such as clouds.

Geosphere- solid portion of the Earth, lithosphere is coined for reference to all land in the Earth’s
system

Biosphere- global ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships, including their
interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.

Where does our freshwater come from? Where is it naturally stored as a resource?
From the ice caps and glaciers, and naturally stored in rivers, lakes and swamps.
Early evolution of the Earth
What is the Big Bang theory?- started as a dense super force that suddenly just bursted into
the universe.
What is the nebular theory to explain the origin of our solar system? Says that we were formed
by a death of a giant star into a supernova, and the explosion sends the stars mass into a wave.

Terms: Protosun- the gaseous cloud that underwent gravitational collapse to form the sun

Planetesimals- any of numerous small celestial bodies that may have existed at an early stage
of the development of the solar system

Meteorites-a meteor that reaches the surface of the earth without being completely vaporized

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 Rocks and the Rock Cycle
Rock cycle explains the interrelationships between the three major rock groups: igneous,
metamorphic and sedimentary. The rock cycle helps us to understand the origin of each of
these types of rocks and also how other spheres such as the atmosphere and hydrosphere are
involved.

Terms: rock cycle, sedimentary rocks- formed from sediment deposited by water or air.

metamorphic rocks- rock but has changed to another under the influence of heat, pressure, or some
other agent without passing through a liquid phase

igneous rocks--formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava.

Weathering- be worn away or altered by long exposure to the air.

crystallization – being in form of a crystal

lithification- process that turns loose, unconsolidated sediment into solid sedimentary rock

(study figure 1.21)

Face of the Earth – why does the face of the Earth look as it does? “Because it was shaped by
plate tectonics.”
Plate tectonics: know what lithospheric plates are and how they move.
Understand the relationship between lithospheric plates, deep-ocean trenches, oceanic
(mid-ocean) ridge, subduction zone, and transform faults

Lithospheric plates- regions of Earth's crust and upper mantle that are fractured into plates that move
across a deeper plasticine mantle- move because of the intense heat in the Earth's core that causes
molten rock in the mantle layer to move

Deep Ocean Trenches- The plate that is slipping under the other plate bends and forms an ocean
trench. The subduction zones where ocean trenches form become long, deep valleys

Oceanic ridge-an elevated region with a central valley on an ocean floor at the boundary between two
diverging tectonic plates where new crust forms from upwelling magma.

Subduction Zone- A region of the Earth where one tectonic plate is diving beneath another into the
interior of the Earth.

Transform Faults- a type of fault which the two tectonic plates slide past one another.

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 Plate tectonics: understand the three different type of plate boundaries or interaction:
(1) divergent, (2) convergent
- Divergent are when the plates pull away from each other forming mild earthquakes and
volcanoes as magma comes to the surface.
Convergent is when the boundaries are when the boundaries are pushing into each other.

(3) transform fault- Transform Faults- a type of fault which the two tectonic plates slide past one
another.

Other terms: continent, ocean basins (continents pulled apart), mountain belts (continents collide
or slide beneath (subduct) each other, continental shelves (shallow water), continental slope (transition
to deep water) and abyssal plain (ocean floor).
How does Earth change? Know the following:
uniformitarianism- processes acted in the same manner and with essentially the same intensity in the
past as they do in the present

catastrophism- , changes in the earth's crust during geological history have resulted chiefly from sudden
violent and unusual events.

Superposition-
the youngest sediments orrocks are at the top of the sequence and theoldest are at the bottom.

principle of fossil succession- Fossil organisms succeeds one another in a definite and
determinable order, and therefore any time period can be recognized by its fossil content.

Scientific inquiry: hypothesis – an explanation for observations or group of data

Theory - a well-tested explanation of observations or data that is widely accepted by the scientific
community
Chapter 2: Plate tectonics
Plate tectonics: know what lithospheric plates are and how they move. Understand the relationship
between lithospheric plates, deep-ocean trenches, oceanic (mid-ocean) ridge, subduction
zone, and transform faults. Study figures 2.14, 2.15 and 2.16.

Plate tectonics: understand the three different type of plate boundaries or interaction:
(1) divergent, (2) convergent and (3)transform fault

Understand the relative volume and characteristics of the crust, mantle, outer core and inner core.
Know the asthenosphere and lithosphere and how these work with convection cells to move

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 continents about- eat generated from the radioactive decay of elements deep in the interior of
the Earth creates magma (molten rock) in the asthenosphere

What is continental drift?

Where is new lithosphere produced and where is it consumed?
What happens at convergent zones: continent to continent? or oceanic lithosphere to continent? or
oceanic to oceanic?
What is an oceanic trench, volcanic island arc, continental volcanic arc?

Applications: why are so many earthquakes occurring in the Aleutian Island, Alaska, USA? Answer:
the Aleutian Islands are a volcanic island arc formed by the sliding of the Pacific Plate beneath the
N. American Plate (figures 2.11 and 2.18). When plates subduct beneath another plate,
earthquakes are generated. What else are the Aleutian Islands famous for? See figure 2.18. The
Pacific Plate is melted and the magma rises to the surface to form _____________.

Know how the Himalayan Mountains formed and continue to form

Terms: Pangea, mantle plumes, hot spots, paleomagnetism, convection cells in the mantle,
transform faults

Applications: Hawaiian Islands (hot spot – ocean), Yellowstone (hot spot – continent), Andes
Mountains, San Andreas fault, California, USA.

Chapter 3: Terms you must know about matter and minerals

Minerals: atoms, chemical bonds, isotopes, proton, neutron and electron
Minerals: physical properties: hardness, cleavage, streak, luster, crystal form and color
Know Mohs Hardness Scale-you will be asked how to test for hardness
Know how adding iron (Fe) to a mineral’s structure affects color
What is a rock? (see pages 68 and 69)
What is a mineral?
Applications: minerals are sources of the metals societies use. This valuable resource is considered
non-renewable. Every time we use a cell phone, we need to remember the copper, gold, silicon
and any other metals in that phone or our automobile were mined minerals.

Chapter 4: Things you must know about igneous rocks

Igneous rocks: how do they form?
What is magma?
What is lava? ( it is more than a brand of soap that contains pumice)
Remember that iron (and magnesium) make minerals dark and that rocks are made up of mineral.
On the other hand, rocks rich in quartz and pink-white feldspar are lighter colored.

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Terms:
plutonic rocks – cooled beneath the surface of Earth (in contrast to volcanic rocks that form on
the surface)

aphanitic- crystalline igneous rock with mineral grains too small to see without magnification-
volcanic rocks can be aphanitic because they cool quicker at the surface
phaneritic – crystalline igneous rock the mineral grains visible to the eye – plutonic rock (Pluto-god
of the underworld) form beneath the surface, cool slowly and have larger crystals
porphyritic- crystalline igneous rock with larger mineral grains in finer matrix called groundmass
glassy- amorphous igneous rock that cooled too fast to grow crystals—this is how we make the
glass that we use in our buildings and motor vehicles
felsic rock- rock containing mostly pink or white feldspar (fel) and silica quartz (sic), thus felsic
mafic rock – rock rich in iron (ferric - fic) and magnesium (ma), thus mafic (iron makes this rock dark
colored)

Composition Phaneritic (plutonic) Aphanitic (volcanic)

Felsic
Minerals: quartz, granite rhyolite
Pink/white feldspar,
clear mica

Intermediate
Minerals: amphibole,
Biotite mical (dark colored) dioite andesite (after Andes Mtns.)
Sodium- and calcium-rich
feldspar

Mafic

Minerals:
Iron-rich amphibole, gabbro basalt
Calcium feldspar,
Pyroxene

Summary: know these associations

granite is plutonic (formed underground), has large crystals that you can see,
and is felsic—rich in quartz and light-colored feldspar

rhyolite is volcanic (formed on surface), has crystals that need magnification to see,
and is felsic—same composition as granite except granite is plutonic and rhyolite is

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 volcanic

gabbro is plutonic, has large crystal and is mafic. As a result it is dark colored and rich in iron

basalt is volcanic, and is known as black lava rock. A microscope is required to see the minerals
in basalt.

Diorite is plutonic, is gray colored and a common building stone in the western U.S.
Andesite is volcanic, grey colored, but the minerals are not visible to the unaided eye.

(STUDY THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS for EACH CHAPTER—ESPECIALLY THE IGNEOUS ROCKS)

Other Terms: obsidian (volcanic glass) and pumice

The occurrence of igneous rocks:

Batholith, dike, sill, stock
KNOW THE ROCK CYCLE
Igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks—where do they come from? How is one changed into
another?

What are the occurrences of plutonic igneous rocks?

dike, sill, stock, batholith