GG 170 - Physical Geology - Review Sheet for the First Exam
Origin of Earth:
Big Bang Theory, Nucleosynthesis, Solar System, Nebular Condensation, Planetesimal Accretion, Source
of Earth’s Heat, Age of Cosmos, Hubble Constant, Chemistry of Earth Atmospheres, Inner Rocky and
Outer Gaseous Planets, Oort Cloud, Impacts, Iron catastrophe
Whole Earth:
Inner core, Outer core, Sources of heat, Convection, Ascending/descending plumes,
Chemical/thermal/physical properties of Earth's interior, Chemical differentiation, Mantle, Mafic/Felsic
minerals, Crust/Lithosphere, Distribution of compounds throughout Earth (density, melting pt.,
abundance)
Crustal Structure:
Continental composition vs. whole Earth composition, Granite/Basalt, Sea floor composition
Example rocks and minerals, Dominant elements, Surface features
Plate Tectonics:
Subduction, Rift valley, Spreading center, Basalt crust, Granite crust, Mantle upwelling, Partial melting,
Plate boundaries, Micro-continents, Continental collision, Mountain building
Convergent/Divergent/Transform, Island arcs, Volcanic arcs, Deep sea trenches
Hotspots/Guyots/Seamounts
Building Compounds/Crystallization:
Atomic structure, Valence electrons, Isotopes, Ionic bonding Electromagnetism, Nuclear structure,
Covalent bonding, Atomic #, Electron levels, Mass number, Ionization (cation, anion), Octet rule,
Single/double substitution, How many ways can nature build a mineral? (Sedimentary, Metamorphic, and
Igneous minerals)
Mineralogy:
Definition of a mineral, Feldspars, Ionic radius, Substitutions, Physical properties , Silicate structure,
Silica tetrahedral, Compound charge, Ferromagnesium Silicates, Chemical composition range, Metallic
cations, Definition of a rock
Igneous Rocks
Definition, Bowens reaction series, Compositional terms, Texture terms, How does a solid melt?,
Fractional crystallization, Cooling history, How does a melt crystallize?, Common mafic and felsic
minerals, Classification of igneous rocks (texture and composition terms)
Volcanism
Role of chemistry, gas content, shield volcano, stratovolcanoes, spreading center volcanism, monogenetic
fields, rhyolite caldera complexes, large igneous provinces, basaltic, andesitic, and rhyolitic magma types,
explosive vs effusive
Weathering
Hydrolysis, dissolution, oxidation, carbonic acid, exfoliation, ice wedging, mechanical and chemical
roles, H2O polarity and role, karst topography, sedimentary minerals, climate and weathering, soil
production, spheroidal weathering, talus, deforestation issues.
Be able to draw and label: Bowen's reaction series, all aspects of plate tectonic theory, cross-section of
Earth, cross-section of the crust/lithosphere, a soil profile with layers described, classification table of
igneous rocks, perhaps some others.