EARTH 103 LABORATORY WORKBOOK
MODULE 1 LAB 1
Instructions: This is the practice test for the Module 1 Lab. The goal is to allow
you to get acquainted with similar questions you will be given in the Angel Lab
Test that will determine your grade for the lab. When you have worked through
the practice, enter your answer in the Practice lab in Angel. You will be given
answers an explanations. We highly recommend you spend quit a bit of time on
this making sure you understand the questions and the answers BEFORE you
take the Lab Test in Angel. The Lab Test is timed, you have one attempt, and
will require you to work efficiently.
Before you start, please make sure you have two plots of Temperature versus
Age in Years for the interval from 0 to 1,000,000 years and from 1,000,000 to
2,6000,000 Years. Make sure you know how to determine the value of a point
on the graph (see video) and how to go back and forth between the Table and
the plots to check answers.
PRACTISE QUESTIONS
All answers here and in the Lab Test need to be to one decimal place (i.e. 59.54
is 59.5 (rounded down) and 61.67 is 61.7 (rounded up). Since there may be
small deviations in how you read the plots, please choose the closest answer to
the options provided.
Q1. What is the temperature at 1000 kyr (1 million years) before present BP
indicated by the oxygen isotope values?
Q2. Is this hotter or colder than the earliest temperature in the time series?
Q3. What is the temperature at 103 kyr BP indicated by the oxygen isotope
values?
Q4. Was temperature increasing or decreasing at 128 kyr BP? Make sure you
answer this question going forward in time (i.e. towards the present).
Q5. Was temperature decreasing or increasing at 2001 kyr BP? Make sure you
answer this question going forward in time (i.e. towards the present).
Q6. Is 216 kyr BP in a glaciation or interglaciation? If temperature is increasing
the interval is an interglaciation. If it is generally decreasing, it is a glaciation.
Q7. Is 113 kyr BP in a glaciation or interglaciation?
Q8. What is closest to the mean temperature of the whole time series?
Moving on, we will compare the nature of the climate cycles in the period before
and after 1 million years ago. To get the frequency, just measure the time from
peak to peak or trough to trough of the major fluctuations. To get the amplitude
determine the difference between the peak and the trough of the cycle (see lab
home page).
Q9. What is the closest to the typical amplitude of the cycles (there are multiple
cycles and you need to determine the average amplitude) between 600 and 900
kyr BP?
Q10. What is the amplitude of the climate cycle (note single cycle) which has a
peak temperature at 122 kyr? Make sure you pick a single cycle and select the
top of the full cycle below and the bottom of the full cycle above. Also remember
the amplitude is the crest height determined from the mid-line (see figure on
home page).
Q. 11. Which is closest to frequency of the large amplitude cycles (note multiple)
between 0 and 500 kyr?
Q12. What is the frequency of the 3.5 OC AMPLITUDE climate cycle (note single
cycle) with a peak at 78 kyr BP? Make sure you pick a single cycle and select the
top of the full cycle below and the bottom of the full cycle above.
The final question is an example of the type of question that will be worth two
points in the lab quiz.
Q13. The maximum extent of the ice sheet is expected at which of the following
dates?
A. 605 kyr BP. B. 883 kyr BP. C. 1003 kyr BP.