CHICAGO ROCKS! Geology in the City
ESCI 109
Spring 2010
Review for Exam #3 (May 4 or 6, 2010)
J. Hemzacek and L. Sanders
For the exam, you should be able to do the following:
w
Describe and explain the reasons for changes in water level
in glacial Lake Chicago, using evidence from the ISGS book to support your
statements.
w
Describe the geologic characteristics of the lake plain and
the Zion beach-ridge plain, and explain how they were formed.
w
Define the geologic term spit, tell in what
environment a spit forms, and describe the geologic materials that would be
deposited in a spit.
w
Construct a plausible explanation for the formation of the
topographic feature at Blue Island, supporting your argument with evidence.
w
Write the story telling how the geology and topography of the
Chicago area developed. (Give a step-by-step chronology, and use
illustrations.)
w Describe the
characteristics of the three main types of rocks that allow you to recognize
them.
w
Describe the processes of chemical and physical (mechanical)
weathering, and tell how you can recognize their effects on Earth materials.
w
Describe geologic features of the Bohemian National
Cemetery.
w Describe the
characteristics of the three main types of rocks that allow you to recognize
them.
w
Describe the processes of chemical and physical (mechanical)
weathering, and tell how you can recognize their effects on Earth materials.
w
Tell what geologic materials are found on the
Chicago Lake Plain, and explain how they were formed.
w
Describe the geologic and topographic features of the
Zion Beach-Ridge Plain, and tell how it was formed.
w
Explain where the sand on a beach comes from.
w
Describe, using diagrams, the process of longshore
drift (also called littoral transport).
w
Explain how human-made structures such as groins,
jetties, piers, and breakwaters affect the process of longshore drift.
w
Describe the topography of a ravine.
w For the
following characteristics, compare and contrast the
two kinds of streams found in "morainal country" (those that flow down the sides
of the moraines, and those that flow through the intermorainal areas):
| 4general direction of flow with respect to the moraine | 4overall stream length | |
| 4"steepness" of the stream | 4flow velocity | |
| 4amount of flow (e.g. big stream, little stream) |
w Review: For the following characteristics, compare and contrast the two kinds of streams found in "morainal country" (those that flow down the sides of the moraines, and those that flow through the intermorainal areas):
| 4general direction of flow with respect to the moraine | 4overall stream length | |
| 4"steepness" of the stream | 4flow velocity | |
| 4amount of flow (e.g. big stream, little stream) |
w
Explain what the gradient of a stream is.
w
Demonstrate how to measure the gradient of a stream using a
topographic map.
w We have a
field trip today! Meet at Gompers Park in the Pulaski parking lot.
w
Describe how water flows through the Gompers Park hydrologic environment, and
how humans interact with the system.
w Define
the terms watershed and divide.
w
Demonstrate how to locate the position of a divide on a topographic map.
w
Demonstrate how to outline a watershed using a topographic map.
w
Demonstrate how to determine what direction a stream flows based on the pattern
of contour lines on a topographic map. (Hint: you should be able to do this
even if there are no numbered contours on the map!)
w Explain
why the major streams in the Chicago area flow in the direction they do.
w
Demonstrate that you can use the final exam calendar
in the NEIU schedule book to determine the time and date of a final exam.
w
Explain what it means to say that the Chicago River "flows backward".
w
Tell the "Big Picture" story of the geology of the Chicago area: Write
a series of steps in chronological order that describe the processes leading to
the Chicago geology and landscape we see today.
w
Tell what was happening, geologicially, in the Chicago area *before*
glaciers formed.
Department of Earth Science | Northeastern Illinois University
Copyright 2010 Laura L. Sanders. Last updated May 2, 2010.