Study Guide for Science Test
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Know the following key terms:
mineral
soil
petrifaction
intrusive igneous rock
humus
mold fossil
extrusive igneous rock
loam
cast fossil
compaction
contour plowing
index fossil
cementation
strip cropping
absolute dating
rock cycle
fossil
relative dating
mechanical weathering
trace fossil
parent rock
chemical weathering
amber
bedrock
soil texture
soil structure
soil fertility
leaching
erosion
weathering
deposition
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Know the 4 branches of Earth Science and the scientists that study them,
and for each scientist know at least two activities they perform.
meteorology-meteorologist
oceanography-oceanographer
geology-geologist
astronomy-astronomer
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Know the following for each type of rock: sedimentary, igneous, and
metamorphic.
Sedimentary: how do they form?, what is its Latin meaning?, how do they
help scientists?, clastic sedimentary, chemical sedimentary, organic
sedimentary, stratification, ripple marks, mud cracks Examples: coal,
sandstone, limestone
Igneous: how do they form?, what is its Latin meaning?, how do they help
scientists?, intrusive, extrusive, magma, lava Examples: granite, basalt,
gabbro, rhyolite
Metamorphic: how do they form?, what is its Greek meaning?, how do they
help scientists?, foliated, non-foliated Examples: gneiss, marble, slate
 Know the 4 eras in Geologic Time:
Precambrian Age of Earth Forming 4.5 billion years ago
Paleozoic Age of Ancient Plants and Animals 570 million – 270
million years ago
Mesozoic Age of Dinosaurs 270 million – 65 million years ago
Cenozoic Age of Mammals 65 millions years ago
Which era lasted the longest? Which era is still in existence? Which
era is the trilobite an index fossil for?
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 Know the 6 types of fossils (petrified, trace, carbon film, mold and
casts, preserved and index) and how each one is formed.
 Know the correct order of the 6 soil horizons and their
descriptions.
 Know the Rock Cycle diagram
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Essays: You will choose to do either 1a or 1b and you must do 2a.
1a) Explain the four steps to how a fossil is formed.
1b) What are three things that scientists can learn from fossils?
2a) What is the difference between mechanical weathering and chemical
weathering? Name 5 ways mechanical weathering occurs and 3 ways
chemical weathering occurs. Give an example to represent each type of
weathering.