GEOSCI 100 Study Guide - Final Guide: Epicenter, Radiocarbon Dating, Chemical Element
9 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
University of Wisconsin - Madison
GEOSCI100
General Geology
Spring 2018
Final Exam
Professor: Meyers, S
Exam Guide
Topics Included:
1. The Earth is a System
2. Plate Tectonics
3. Earth Materials
4. The Rock Cycle
5. Deformation
6. Clocks in Rocks
7. Evolution of the Continents
8. Geobiology
9. Bacteria on Evolution
10. The Climate System
11. The Hydrologic Cycle
12. Earthquakes
Module 1: The Earth is a System______________________________________
Key Points:
●System - An assemblage of interacting components that together comprise a unified
whole
○sometimes they function perfectly and sometimes they don’t
●The “Deep Earth System” - has 4 layers
○outer core, inner core, crust, mantle
●The “Surficial Earth System” - The Hydrologic Cycle Transports Water and Heat
○not smooth, 71% water, and land
○Overtime, moisture levels have changed
●Topography - the study of the shape and features of the surface of the Earth and other
observable astronomical objects including planets, moons, and asteroids.
○could refer to the surface shapes and features themselves, or a description
○Earth’s topography is measured with respect to sea level.
●Radius of the Earth = 6,370 km
●The “Moho” (The Mohorovicic Discontinuity) - the place between the crust and the
mantle
Module 1 Practice Exam Questions:
1. What is the approximate amount of elevation change (relief) between the
highest (Mt. Everest) and lowest (Marianas Trench) points on the surface of
the Earth?
A. About 2 km
B. About 5 km
C. About 20 km
D. About 50 km
2. T/F: On average, the depth of the oceans below sea level is greater
than the elevation of the continents above sea level.
A. True
B. False
3. 46% of the continental crust is oxygen, while only 21% of the atmosphere is
oxygen. How could this be?
A. The crust has a lot of holes filled with oxygen gas
B. Volcanoes suck oxygen into the Earth’s interior
C. Most of the crust is made up of solid silica tetrahedra, which look like this:
Module 2: Plate Tectonics______________________________________
Key Points:
●Pangea - “supercontinent” when all of the continents were ONE giant land mass
●Triangulation - it takes 3 (or more) satellites to locate your precise location
●Vector: measures direction and magnitude
○short arrows travel slow
○long arrows travel fast
●The Continental Drift Hypothesis - Alfred Wegener (German meteorologist) said that the
continents were moving. His evidence:
○the continents all fit together
○fossil distribution in multiple continents (the same fossil in different continents)
○similar rock patterns and geologic features
●A major criticism of continental drift: NO CONVINCING MECHANISM!
○One opposer = George Gaylord Simpson
●Seafloor Spreading - mapping using sonar (using sound waves to determine location).
○Admiral Harry Hess proposed this during WWII
●CONTINENTAL DRIFT + SEAFLOOR SPREADING = PLATE TECTONICS
●Tectonics - large scale movement of crust
●Frederick Vine & Drummond Matthews - Proved that the continents move through
magnetism. They developed and used a magnetometer to prove this (developed during
WWII) → when magma cools, it has a lot of iron in it. When
it crystallizes it locks in those iron minerals, which
preserves our magnetic field.
●Plate Tectonics - large scale movement of plates
○Eight Large Plates + many small ones →
●Possible Mechanisms for plate movement:
○Plates dragged around by mantle convection
○Weight of descending slab pulls plate down
○Weight of spreading ridge pushes plate
●Continental Crust is LESS dense than oceanic crust
●3 Types of Plate Boundaries:
○Divergent Boundary - plates moving away from each other
■Ocean-Ocean
■Continent-Continent
○Convergent Boundary - plates moving toward each other
■Ocean-Ocean
■Ocean-Continent
■Continent-Continent: example- himalayas
Document Summary
Topics included: the earth is a system, plate tectonics, earth materials, the rock cycle, deformation, clocks in rocks, evolution of the continents, geobiology, bacteria on evolution, the climate system, the hydrologic cycle, earthquakes. System - an assemblage of interacting components that together comprise a unified. Sometimes they function perfectly and sometimes they don"t. The deep earth system - has 4 layers. The surficial earth system - the hydrologic cycle transports water and heat. Topography - the study of the shape and features of the surface of the earth and other observable astronomical objects including planets, moons, and asteroids. Could refer to the surface shapes and features themselves, or a description. Earth"s topography is measured with respect to sea level. Radius of the earth = 6,370 km. The moho (the mohorovicic discontinuity) - the place between the crust and the mantle. Module 1 practice exam questions: what is the approximate amount of elevation change (relief) between the highest (mt.
