READING STUDY QUESTIONS
Chernicoff:
Appendix C and AGI/NAGT Lab 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 13
Chapter 2 Chapter 10 Chapter 14
Chapter 3 Chapter 11 Chapter 15
Chapter 4 Chapter 12 Chapter 17
Chernicoff Chapter 1: A First Look at Planet Earth
1. Explain the differences between a scientific hypothesis, a scientific
theory, and scientific law.
2. Explain how geologists use the scientific method to arrive at geologic
concepts.
3. Describe the transition in geology from the concept of catastrophism
to uniformitariansim.
4. Discuss current theories about the origin of the universe, the solar
system, and the earth.
5. List and describe the three major compositional divisions of the
earth.
6. Draw a diagram illustrating the rock cycle and define the three
rock types: igneous, sedimentary,
and metamorphic.
7. Describe the different types of plate boundaries.
8. Discuss the mechanisms that drive plate tectonics
Chernicoff Chapter 2: Minerals
1. List several ways in which minerals are used in our everyday lives.
2. Define the terms mineral and rock.
3. Describe the structure of an atom.
4. Explain how atoms bond together.
5. Discuss the properites used for identifying minerals
6. Sketch and label the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron. Explain why
it is important.
7. List the five principal silicate crystal structures and give an
example of each.
8. List the most common types of non-silicate minerals and give one
example of each.
9. Explain how the occurrence of gemstones can be used to determine
the geologic events and environmental
conditions that may have produced them.
Chernicoff
Chapter 3: Igneous Processes and Igneous Rocks
1.
Explain why our knowledge of igneous processes is limited.
2. Describe the various textures of igneous rocks and explain
why these different textures form.
3. Explain the difference, in terms of silica content, between
ultramafic, mafic, intermediate, and felsic igneous rocks.
4. List the factors that govern the temperature at which any
given mineral will melt.
5. Diagram Bowen's reaction series and explain what the series
shows.
6. Describe fractional crystallization and explain how it
changes the composition of a magma.
7. Explain why magma rises toward the surface of the Earth.
8. Identify the region of occurrence and the source of parent magma for ocean and continental basalts, gabbros, andesites, diorites, rhyolites, and granites.
1. Explain the difference in composition, temperature, and
viscosity between mafic and felsic magmas, and between basaltic, andesitic, and
rhyolitic lavas.
2. Describe the process that causes pyroclastic volcanoes to
explode violently.
3. Describe the products of volcanism, including the various
types of lava flow, size classes of tephra, nuče ardentes, and lahars.
4. Discuss the environmental impact of volcanic explosions.
5. Explain in detail the differences in causes, characteristics,
effects, and plate tectonic settings between effusive and pyroclastic eruptions.
6. List North American examples of basaltic, andesitic, and
rhyolitic volcanoes.
Chapter 6: Sedimentation and Sedimentary Rocks
1.
Describe three ways in which sedimentary rocks are important.
2. Explain the difference between detrital sediment and chemical
sediment.
3. Discuss how the medium of transport and the nature of the parent material affect the size, shape, and degree of sorting of sediment grains.
4. Discuss the formation of sedimentary structures, including
stratification, graded bedding, cross-bedding, ripple marks, and mudcracks.
5. Discuss the processes involved in the lithification of
sedimentary rocks.
6. Differentiate among the characteristics and processes of
formation of the detrital sedimentary rocks (shales, sandstones, conglomerates,
and breccias).
7. Describe the environments of deposition and factors governing
the formation of both inorganic (limestone, evaporites, dolostone, and chert)
and organic (limestone, chert, and coal) chemical sedimentary rocks.
Chapter 7: Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks
1. List and discuss the four major factors that induce or influence metamorphism.
2. Differentiate between foliated and non-foliated metamorphic
rocks.
3. Explain the progressive steps involved in the metamorphosis
of shale from the deposition of mud through the formation of migmatite.
4. Identify the parent rock of most common metamorphic rocks.
5. Describe the process of contact metamorphism and formation of
metamorphic aureoles.
6. Discuss hydrothermal, fault and regional metamorphism.
7. Describe the temperature/pressure environments for the common
metamorphic facies.
8. Identify the plate tectonic settings for the common
metamorphic facies.
Chapter 9: Folds, Faults, and Mountains
1. Define the three types of stress that may act upon rock, and
the three types of deformation by which rocks respond to stress.
2. Discuss the factors that affect rock deformation.
3. Explain the meaning of the terms strike and dip.
4. Identify the common types of folds (synclines, anticlines,
overturned, recumbent, and plunging) as well as domes and basins.
5. Describe strike-slip faults and dip-slip faults (normal, reverse, and thrust) and identify the forces that cause them.
6.
Describe the three principal types of nonvolcanic mountains and explain how they
formed.
1. Describe the causes of earthquakes.
2. Differentiate among the different types of seismic waves.
3. Explain why the Mercalli intensity scale does not provide an
objective measurement of earthquakes.
4. Discuss objective measurements of earthquakes such as
magnitude.
5. Describe the damaging effects of earthquakes:
ground shifts, landslides, liquefaction, seiches, tsunami, and fire.
6. Discuss the occurrence of earthquakes in relation to plate
tectonic settings.
7. Discuss the methods used to predict earthquakes.
8.
What factors determine whether a particular building is susceptible to damage by
an earthquake?
1. Explain
how we know the structure of the Earth's interior.
2.
Explain why P waves travel at different speeds through different media
and why S waves can travel only through solids.
3.
Describe the structure of the Earth in terms of variations in seismic
wave velocity.
4.
Describe how P-wave and S-wave shadow zones delineate the Earth's core.
5.
Discuss the relationships among depth, pressure, temperature, solids, and
liquids in the interior of the Earth.
6.
Describe the principle of isostasy.
7.
Explain why the Earth generates a magnetic field and why the polarity of
the magnetic field is sometimes reversed.
8.
Discuss how paleomagnetism can determine the past geographic location of
the Earth's landmasses.
1.
Describe how satellites, hot spots, seamount chains, and marine magnetic
anomalies can be used to determine the speed and direction of plate movements.
2.
Discuss the process of three-branched continental rifting.
3.
Describe the plate tectonic cycle from continental rifting to the
development of an ocean to the closing of an ocean to continental suturing.
4. Describe the features related to subduction zones.
5.
Discuss theories that explain the driving mechanisms of plate motion
6.
List six different types of evidence for plate tectonics (see Chapter 1)
Appendix C and AGI/NAGT Laboratory 8: Topographic Maps.
1.
What is a topographic map?
2. What is a map scale and what are the ways of expressing it?
3. What are lines of longitude?
What is the Prime Meridian?
4. What are lines of latitude?
What is the Equator?
5. What is magnetic declination?
Why is it an important feature of a map?
6. What is a township within the Public Land Survey (PLS)
system? What is a range?
7. What is a section within the PLS system and what are its
dimensions?
8. What is a contour line?
What does the term contour interval
mean?
9. What is a topographic profile?
1.
Define and differentiate between the terms weathering and erosion.
2. Explain the difference between mechanical and chemical
weathering.
3. List and describe the different types of mechanical
weathering.
4. List and describe the different types of chemical weathering.
5. Discuss four factors that influence weathering.
6. Identify and discuss the products of weathering.
7. List and discuss the five factors that influence soil
formation.
8. Explain the soil profile and the development of the soil
horizons.
9. Differentiate between the characteristics of pedalfers and
pedocals.
1. Define the term mass movement and discuss the risk of damage and death from mass-movement events in the United States.
2. Describe the relationship between gravity and friction in
slope stability.
3. List both natural and human causes of slope steepness that
can lead to mass-movement events.
4. Discuss how different types of slope composition affect the
probability of mass movement.
5. Describe the role played by water and vegetation in mass
movement.
6. List both natural and human-induced triggers of mass
movements.
7. Describe and differentiate among the different types of mass
movement based on speed and manner of movement.
8. Discuss methods of predicting, avoiding, and preventing
mass-movement events.
1.
Describe the hydrologic cycle.
2. Identify factors that affect stream velocity and discharge.
3. Discuss how graded streams respond to changes in their
environment.
4. Discuss the mechanisms by which streams erode their channels,
and discuss the roles of erosion, deposition, and stream velocity in meandering
streams.
5. Explain how stream erosion leads to various drainage
patterns, stream piracy, and antecedent streams.
6. List and describe the three ways in which streams transport
sediments.
7. Describe the stream depositional landforms created in stream
channels and on flood plains.
8. Discuss methods used to predict and control major floods.
1. Discuss the relationship between the ground surface, the zone of aeration, and the zone of saturation.
2.
Discuss the movement and distribution of groundwater in terms of
porosity, permeability, groundwater potential, and flow rate.
3.
Describe the geologic conditions that form unconfined aquifers, confined
aquifers, and artesian aquifers.
4.
Describe the geological conditions
that form natural springs, thermal springs, and geysers.
5.
Explain the problems of groundwater depletion in terms of land subsidence
and saltwater intrusion.
6. Discuss the methods of groundwater contamination, the self-cleaning potential of aquifers, and the methods used to clean contaminated aquifers.
1. Describe how a glacier forms and the climatic conditions necessary for its formation.
2. List and describe the different types of glaciers.
3. Discuss the glacial budget.
4. Explain the mechanisms by which glaciers flow.
5. Explain the mechanisms of glacial erosion.
6. List and describe glacial erosional and depositional
features.
7. Discuss theories on the causes of the ice ages.
1. Identify the parts of a wave, the causes of waves, and the
factors governing wave characteristics.
2. Describe the processes involved in wave refraction and
longshore currents.
3. Describe the mechanisms and controlling factors of wave
erosion and deposition.
4. Explain the development of landforms produced by coastal
erosion and by coastal deposition.
5. Describe the methods used to protect coasts from wave
erosion.