Earth Science Supplemental Review-due on your exam day

Name___KEY_________Use this sheet to help you review the material-refer to the handout given in class for concepts. *This does not include all content on your test-review notes, labs, and previous assessments also. You will need to

write answers on your own paper.

The Rock Record1. Describe the Principle of Superposition in your own words. In undisturbed rock layers, the oldest layer is

at the bottom and the youngest layer is at the top.2. What do cross cutting relationships have to do with igneous intrusions and fault lines? If a layer of rock or

a fault line passes through another rock layer, then it is younger than the layer it passes through. 3. Draw a cross section of Earth showing 4 layers of sedimentary rock, 1 igneous intrusion, and 1 fault. Then

describe the order of formation for your cross section.

from oldest to youngest: c, b, a, d, e4. What is the difference between relative and absolute age of rock? Relative age only gives age relative to

other layers (ex. Older, younger) while absolute age is a numerical age.5. What methods are used to find relative age of rock layers? Law of superposition, graded bedding, cross

beds, ripple marks, unconformities6. What methods are used to find the absolute age of rock layers? Radiometric dating, varve counts, rate of

erosion or deposition7. Why is carbon dating limited to “younger” fossils? Older fossils do not have any parent isotope remaining.

In order to determine an age, you need to know the ratio of parent to daughter isotope8. If you have a 50 gram sample of an isotope, indicate the mass of the parent and daughter isotope over

time.

Half Life Mass of Parent Isotope Mass of Daughter Isotope0 50 g 0 g1 25g 25 g2 12.5 g 37.5 g3 6.25 g 43.75 g4 3.125 g 46.875 g

9. The half-life of the parent isotope in the chart above is 50,000 years. If a rock is analyzed for this isotope and only 6.25 grams remain, how old is this sample? 150,000 years old (3 half lives have passed)

10. Name and describe 5 types of fossils. Mold-organism buried in sediment that becomes rock, organism decays away, leaving imprint of organismCast-mold fossil from above fills with sediment that hardens into the shape of organism

Trace-footprints, trails, burrows, bite marks left preserved in rockOriginal Remains or Body Fossil-whole organism buried and preserved in rock or amberCoprolites-fossilized waste of organisms

11. What are index fossils? Fossils that are used to determine the age of other fossils or rock layers. What characteristics must they have to be index fossils? Fossils found in large areas, easily distinguishable features, lived during a short time span

12. What type of rock are most fossils formed in? sedimentary Why not the other rock types? The processes used to form igneous and metamorphic rock usually destroys fossil evidence

13. List the time periods used to divide the Earth’s history from least specific to most specific. Eon, Era, Period, Epoch

14. Which time period makes up the majority of the Earth’s history? Precambrian Time15. Why is Precambrian time not divided into smaller time periods? Very little Precambrian rock exists, only

life forms during this time are bacteria so not much diversity in life forms16. What factors are used to determine the time period used in the geologic timeline? Types of organisms and

major geologic events17. What is evolution? Change in living things over time18. What is used to help us identify how life has changed on earth over time? The fossil record-all discovered

fossils

Plate Tectonics-Ch. 10 & 11

1. What is the difference between a ridge and a rift? Ridge is an elevated part of the crust-mountainous while a rift is an opening in the crust. At the mid ocean ridge, there is a rift where lava exits the earth and forms new oceanic crust.

2. What occurs at a mid ocean ridge? Sea Floor Spreading- At the mid ocean ridge, there is a rift where lava exits the earth and forms new oceanic crust. This is a divergent boundary.

3. Why were magnetic patterns on the ocean floor confusing to scientists? What did they discover as a result of these patterns? New crust forms on both sides of the MOR-this rock takes on the Earth’s magnetic polarity at the time of formation. These alternating bands of polarity are symmetrical on both sides of the MOR indicating the process of Sea Floor Spreading.

4. What is Wegener’s theory of continental drift? That continental masses have moved and are not in their original. What evidence was his theory based on? Shape of continents fit together, same fossil types on different continents, same age of rock on corresponding continents, climate evidence (glacial grooves in warm places, fossils of tropical plants in cold places)

5. How was this theory confirmed after Wegener’s death? Discovery of the Mid Ocean Ridge by Hess6. What is Pangaea? Supercontinent that formed 300 million years ago and began to break up 200

million years ago7. What is Panthalassa? Single, large ocean that existed at the same time as Pangaea8. Pangaea broke up into what parts? Laurasia and Gondwanaland9. Describe the Supercontinent Cycle. Process by which supercontinents form and break apart over time10. How will plate tectonics affect the continents in the distant future? The continents will change their

position over time

11. What is a tectonic plate? Piece of lithosphere-the earth is divided into many major and minor plates that float on the asthenosphere

12. What is the difference between the asthenosphere and the lithosphere? The lithosphere is composed of the crust and the upper mantle, while the asthenosphere lies underneath the lithosphere and is composed of only part of the mantle.

13. Describe a convergent boundary. Boundary in which plates come together and move towards each other

14. Describe a divergent boundary. Boundary in which plates move away each other, “divide”

15. Describe a transform boundary. Boundary in which plates slide past each other horizontally

16. How is climate affected by tectonic plate movement? When continents change position, the latitude can change which affects the climate. For example, if a continent moves towards the poles, the climate will be cooler.

17. If new crust is created as a result of sea floor spreading, where is existing crust “recycled”? at subduction zones where one plate slides underneath the other plate and gets melted down into magma

18. What is isostasy? State in which the buoyant force of the asthenosphere is balanced with the gravitational force pressing down on the lithosphere.

19. What forces are involved in isostasy? Buoyant and gravitational20. What is the difference between a fault and a fracture? A fault is a break in a body of rock along which

only block slides relative to another while a fracture is a break in rock without movement21. Describe the types of mountains.

Fold-tectonic movements push rock layers together at convergent boundariesFault Block-broken rock layers tilt and drop relative to other blocks of rockDome-magma is pushed towards the surface-pushing up rock layers in a dome shapeVolcanic-mountain created when magma erupts and cools on the surface

22. What is subduction? one plate slides underneath the other plate at a convergent boundary and gets melted down into magmaWhat are possible results (features) from subduction? Ocean trenches, mountain ranges, volcanoes

23. What is the difference between strain and stress? Stress is a force placed on rock, while strain is the shape or volume change to rock due to stress

24. Name and describe 3 types of stress. Draw pictures to help you remember each type. (see TB pg. 295)Compression-forces press together on rockTension-forces pull rock in opposite directionsShear-opposing forces shift rock in different directions

Earthquakes1. What causes an earthquake? Release of energy when rocks along a fault line move2. Describe elastic rebound? Rock that has been changed by stress returns to its original shape Is this movement

gradual or sudden? sudden3. What is the difference between the focus and epicenter? Focus is the exact location of rock movement in an

earthquake, while the epicenter is the spot on the surface above the focus4. Does the location of the focus affect the surface damage? Explain. Yes, shallow foci cause more damage while

deeper foci cause less damage5. Name and describe the 2 types of body waves. P-primary waves, fastest traveling and S-waves-secondary6. Do all seismic waves pass through all parts of the Earth? Explain. No-secondary waves can’t pass through the

liquid outer core, only through solid parts of the Earth7. Do all seismic waves travel at the same speed? Explain. No-P waves travel the fastest and are the first waves

measured in an earthquake8. How are seismic waves affected by traveling through the Earth’s interior? Seismic waves’ speed and direction

can change as they pass through the Earth’s layers9. What is a shadow zone? Area in which no body waves are detected10. What types of waves cause the most damage? Surface waves11. What are the 2 types of surface waves? Rayleigh and Love waves12. Describe the motion of the 2 body waves. P-move rock layers back and forth, S waves move rock side to side

13. Where do earthquakes usually occur? Near or on plate boundaries Why? Boundaries are areas in which plates are moving

14. How do scientists determine the location of an earthquake epicenter? Use data from 3 seismograph stations15. How do computers help them? Calculate distance to epicenter and locate focus16. What scales are used to determine magnitude of earthquakes? Richter, Moment Magnitude17. Which scale is the most accurate? Moment Magnitude18. Which scale is the oldest? Mercalli19. Are scientists able to predict earthquakes accurately? No-at this time we can’t predict EQ

20. What information have scientists used to predict earthquake activity? Past EQ activity and changes in crust have been used to try to predict EQ

21. What are foreshocks? Small EQ that precede a larger EQ22. What are seismic gaps? Areas that have had previous EQ activity, but no current EQ activity23. How does the type of soil affect building damage during an earthquake? Harder soil types are more stable than

soft soil types that are less stable-leads to more damage24. What is a tsunami? A large wave caused by an underwater EQ , landslide or volcanic eruption25. What causes tsunamis? underwater EQ , landslide or volcanic eruption26. What happens as a tsunami approaches shore? Wave height increases

Volcanoes1. Besides boundaries of tectonic plates, where else do volcanoes form? Hot spots2. What is a hot spot? Area of volcanic activity over a mantle plume where lava erupts, plates move over

hot spots creating island chains3. What is the Pacific Ring of Fire? Area of high volcanic activity along the boundaries of the Pacific Plate

4. What is the difference between mafic and felsic magma and rock? Mafic lava is high in iron and magnesium-darker in color while felsic lava is high in silica and feldspar-lighter in color

5. What type of rock is formed from the cooling of magma or lava? igneous6. What are pyroclastic materials? Pieces of rock, ash and dust formed from quick cooling of lava-usually

in explosive eruptions7. How are they classified? size8. Give some examples of pyroclastic materials. Ash, dust, bombs, blocks, lapilli9. Rank your examples of pyroclastic materials by size. Smallest-dust, ash, lapilli, bombs, blocks (largest)10. When does magma form? Temperature of rock is over melting point11. What is a caldera? Volcano magma chamber empties, rock caves in creating a depression. Can fill in

with water and form a lake12. What are the 3 types of volcanoes? Shield, composite/stratovolcano, cinder cone13. How are they different from each other?

14. What is the difference between a quiet and explosive eruption?Quiet-low viscosity and mafic lavaExplosive-high viscosity and felsic lava, often pyroclastic materials ejected

15. Was the eruption of Mount St. Helens a quiet or explosive eruption? Explosive25. What is subduction? one plate slides underneath the other plate at a convergent boundary and gets

melted down into magma

16. What are the types of lava? Aa, blocky, pahoehoe How are they formed?

17. What is volcanism? Any activity involving movement of magma to the surface

18. How do scientists predict volcanic eruptions? Measure EQ activity, gases produced by volcano, measure and monitor size and shape of volcano

Weather and the Atmosphere

1) Where does the water in the atmosphere come from? Evaporation from oceans, lakes, plants, etc.

2) 2 types of humidity: _relative_ and absolute.

3) The hotter the air is, the more water it can hold.

4) When water vapor is cooled it condenses into water in the form of fog (close to the ground) or clouds (higher in the atmosphere)

5) We use a barometer to measure air pressure.

6) High pressure areas are associated with dry, sunny days.

7) What types of conditions are associated with low pressure systems?Cloudy and precipitation possible

8) What is a front?Boundary in between 2 air masses

9) List 3 types of fronts. Warm, cold, occluded, stationary

Wind

1) What is wind?Uneven heating of the Earth’s atmosphere

2) What causes wind? ( Be specific)Wind forms when warm air rises (less dense) and cooler air moves into take its place

3) How does density play a role in the formation of wind? warm air is less dense than cool air and rises. Cooler air sinks.

4) Area of rising air is called a low pressure system.

5) What are prevailing winds?

Constant winds, examples include tradewinds, westerlies, etc

6) What are jet streams?High altitude, in troposphere, narrow bands of strong winds that influence weather patterns and climate

7) How can land formations affect wind?Landforms can block or change the direction of winds

Tornadoes

1) What are tornadoes?Rotating columns of air with high winds

2) Tornadoes usually occur during thunderstorms

3) Violent thunderstorms are called super cells4) What is an updraft? Column of warm air moving upward

5) How does temperature affect tornado formation?Air temperature differences enable tornado formation

6) Tornadoes are rated on the Fujita scale.

7) What is the highest rating on this scale? F5

Thunderstorms

1) Storm clouds form when warm, humid air rises and cools.

2) Cooling of the water vapor causes condensation-which leads to precipitation (rain, sleet, snow, hail)

3) Lightening is created by static electricity.

4) How is this type of electricity produced in clouds?Molecules of air rub together to produce a charge

5) What are 2 ways the difference in electrical charge can be fixed?Cloud to cloud lightening created or cloud to ground created

6) Thunder is due to the heating of air by lightning and the generation of a shock wave.

7) Why do you see lightning before hearing the thunder?Light travels faster than sound waves

8) How can you describe the location of the storm if there is no delay between lightning and thunder?The storm is right over your position

Space

1) What units are used to measure distances in space? AU, parsecs, light years2) Describe types of telescopes used to study space?

3) What causes the seasons? The tilt of the Earth on its axis cause different angle of sunlight on the Earth’s surface Day and night? The spinning of the Earth on its axis takes approximately 24 hours and causes day and night

4) When are the summer and winter solstices? Summer-June, Winter-December5) When are the spring and fall equinoxes? Fall-September, Spring-March 6) Draw a picture to show alignment of earth, sun and moon during a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse.

7) What types of light waves are found in the electromagnetic spectrum?

8) Compare the heliocentric model to the geocentric model. Heliocentric refers to a sun centered solar system while geocentric refers to an Earth centered solar system

9) What causes the moon phases? Lunar phases are caused by the position of the moon in relation to the sun. When we see a portion of the moon shadowed and invisible, it is not

because of the earth's shadow, but because the dark portion of the moon is the half that is turned away from the sun. Half of the moon is always in shadow and half is always illuminated, but we perceive different phases based on the moon's position in relation to us.

10) Compare waxing versus waning moon phases. Waxing is when the lit portion of the moon is increasing while waning is when the lit portion is getting smaller

11) Compare asteroids, comets and meteors. (see your Venn Diagram)12) What is eccentricity? Degree of elongation of an elliptical orbit 13) What is the eccentricity of a circle? 014) What are Kepler’s Laws? Three laws that describe planetary movement 15) List the order of the planets (include the asteroid belt

16) Compare the inner and outer planets.

17) Draw a picture and label the layers of the sun.

18) What are sunspots? Dark areas of the photosphere of the sun that is cooler than the surrounding areas and have a strong magnetic field

19) What evidence supports the Big Bang Theory? Cosmic background radiation, red shift of galaxies, ripples in cosmic background radiation, less Hydrogen and Helium-more heavy elements

20) What is red shift? Light emitted from galaxies shifts to the red end of the color spectrum due to moving away from Earth

21) Which stars on the HR diagram are the hottest and brightest? Blue Giants The coolest stars? Red Giants/Supergiants

22) What are galaxies? Large group of stars, gas and dust that are bound together by gravity What are some shapes of galaxies? Spiral, elliptical, irregular

23) Compare absolute and apparent magnitude of stars. Absolute brightness is the numerical measure of brightness while apparent magnitude describes how bright it appears from Earth