Department
of Earth Science |
Northeastern
Illinois University
INTRODUCTION TO EARTH SCIENCE
ESCI 121
Review for Exam #1 (September 19, 2006)
Dr. Sanders
For
Exam #1, you should be able to do the
following:
* List the steps in the scientific
method.
* Sketch two diagrams illustrating the interior structure of the
earth. In the first diagram, show and label the different layers
as defined by their density and composition. In
the second diagram, show and label the different layers as defined by
their deformation
properties. (For help, see p. 15-16 in your textbook.)
* Describe the lithosphere
and asthenosphere,
sketch a diagram showing the internal structure of the earth and show
where they occur, and explain how they differ in terms of their
temperature and rigidity.
* List the two
types of lithosphere (oceanic lithosphere
and continental
lithosphere) and describe how they differ in terms of their
thickness and density.
* Locate the following places on a map of the world:
Japan, Hawaii, Los Angeles California, Yellowstone National Park, the
India/Tibet border (northernmost), New Zealand, Iceland, the Red Sea,
lake Tanganyika, the Aleutian Islands, Chile, Jakarta (Indonesia), the
Azore Islands, and the Galapagos Islands. Note: you are not required to memorize
where these places are located on a globe. They are listed here
simply as an aid to your studying. On a test, if you needed
to find a location on a map, I would point it out to you.)
* Read world maps that illustrate various geologic features:
hot spots, crustal thickness, depth of earthquake focus, locations of
volcanoes, geographic features, and plate boundaries. Download
the handout we used (MSWord format) by clicking here.
* Compile information from the maps to discern patterns.
Download
the handout we used (MSWord format) by clicking here.
A web
version of this exercise can
be found here.
* Using a map illustrating plate tectonic boundaries, identify
locations where boundaries occur, and tell what type of boundaries they
are (divergent, convergent, or transform).
* Explain the patterns in the data we collected in class on
geologic features at the fourteen locations listed above.
Download
the legal-sized handout (MSWord format) we used in class by
clicking here.
* Describe, sketch a diagram of, and explain the geologic
features you would expect to find at each type of plate boundary (for
help, consult Chapter 8 of your textbook). For convergent
boundaries, consider all three possible combinations of
plate types! Give a real-world example for each situation.
* List the three major
groups of rocks and briefly explain how each type forms.
* List some characteristics of rocks that might help you
determine whether a rock is igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic.
* Given a hand sample of a rock, describe its characteristics
that lead you to a determination of whether it is igneous, sedimentary,
or metamorphic.
* For each of the three major groups of rocks, give a few plate tectonic settings in which
one might find that type of rock forming.
* Complete the sentence, "Most rocks are made of _________."
* Given several samples of different minerals, make observations
about them and sort them into groups based on
their properties.
* Explain what a mineral
is, listing the characteristics that all minerals share. Note: we did not specifically discuss this
in class, but I wrote the definition on the board at the end of
class. You are
responsible for being able to explain this; check your textbook for
more information!
* Use simple laboratory tools (copper
penny, hand lens, scratch plate, streak plate, dissecting needle) to
investigate the
properties of minerals.
* Describe what is meant by the following terms used to
describe mineral properties:
q hardness
q luster
q streak
q specific gravity (similar to
density)
q cleavage
q color
q odor
q solubility
(We did not investigate solubility
specifically in class, but you should have a general understanding of
what it is; consult your textbook for more information.)
* Explain how to evaluate the mineral properties listed above for a
given mineral sample.
* Using a mineral identification key such as the two that were
distributed in class, determine the name of a given
mineral sample based on its properties. (For fun, visit the online
mineral identification key provided by the Mineralogical Society of
America!)
© 2006 Laura L. Sanders. Last updated
September14, 2006.