Geography 1
Exam 3 Study Guide
Physical Geography
Chapter 8: The Earth from the Inside Out
geomorphology
Uniformitarianism (James Hutton) vs. Catastrophism
Geologic timescale
Eon, era, period: Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Quaternary
Endogenic and exogenic processes
Initial and sequential landforms
Core, mantle, crust, asthenosphere, lithosphere, Moho
Isostasy, isostatic adjustment
Mafic and felsic rock
Lithospheric plates
Minerals and rocks: oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium
Igneous: intrusive, extrusive, felsic, mafic (silica content: color and grain size)
Plutons, batholiths, dikes, laccoliths, sills, exposed batholith, granite
Sedimentary rock: strata, clastic (shale, sandstone), chemically precipitated (limestone, dolomite),
Organic sediment (coal, petroleum).
Metamorphic rock: schist, quartzite, marble
Rock cycle of change
Relief features of continents: alpine chains and continental shields, six types of continental
landforms (widely spaced mountains, plains, mountains, ice sheets, depressions, high plateaus,
hills and low plateaus).
Relief features of ocean basins: midoceanic ridge, deep ocean trenches
Wegener’s theory of Continental Drift
Pangea
Seafloor spreading (conveyor belt), Harry Hess
Chapter 9: Volcanic and Tectonic Landforms
Plate tectonics
Pacific Rim of Fire
Convergent boundaries: subduction: deep ocean trenches, volcanism, mountain ranges, volcanic
island arcs, earthquakes, Mariana Trench, Japan Islands, Andes Mountains
Convergent boundaries: collision zones (continental collision): folding, anticlines, synclines,
orogeny, overthrust faults, differential erosion of folds
Continental suture
Spreading/Divergent boundaries: sea-floor spreading, midoceanic ridge, deep faults, oceanic
volcanism (Iceland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge)
Spreading/Divergent boundaries: continental rifting, East African rift valley, continental volcanism,
shield volcanoes,
Transform boundaries: lateral movement, faulting, Dead Sea, San Andreas, Transverse Ranges
Types of faults: strike-slip (lateral), normal (down and away), reverse (down and under), overthrust
Fault scarp/scarp face, Sag pond
Graben, horst
Basin and range topography
Epicenter and focus of earthquakes
Earthquake maginute, Richter scale
Subduction zone earthquakes (Japan, Indonesia, Alaska, Seattle, tsunami risk)
Transform boundary earthquakes (San Andreas fault, Northridge quake, Landers quake, Loma
Prieta quake)
Divergent boundary earthquakes (Imperial Valley of CA, New Madrid fault)
What are the factors impacting severity of earthquake: magnitude, depth of slippage, soil type,
population density, building codes, time of day
Magma, lava
Hotspots
Volcano types: stratovolcano (composite), shield volcano, Caldera, Cinder cones, Lava domes;
know type of expected eruption and composition (silica content and type of lava) of each
Crater Lake & Wizard Island
Volcanic hazards: gases, lava flows, pyroclastics, mud flows (lahar)
Chapter 10: Weathering and Mass Wasting
Weathering, mass wasting, erosion
Bedrock, regolith, soil
Joint, pores; joint-block disintegration; granular disintegration
Physical weathering: frost action (frost wedging, frost cracking); Salt-crystal growth (salt wedging);
Exfoliation; Thermal action (heat); Biological action (plant roots, some animals)
Chemical weathering: oxidation, hydrolysis, carbonation
Factors that impact the amount of weathering: rock type (differential rates of weathering
depending on rock resistance) and climate (areas with greater thermal inputs and water inputs will
have more weathering).
Slopes: angle of repose, colluvium, sorted colluvium. Where are slopes less stable?
Mass wasting: creep, solifluction, rockfall, talus, landslide, rotational slide/translational slide,
earthflows, mudflows, lahars, debris flows
Induced mass wasting: human activities scarification, strip mining, fire (removal of vegetation).
La Concita, CA
Chapters 11 & 12: Fresh Water of the Continents & Erosion, Transportation & Deposition
Hydrologic cycle, ground water, infiltration, evapotranspiration, overland flow, soil-water belt.
Percolation, saturated zone, aquicludes, artesian well, the water table, stalactites, stalagmites,
sinkholes, karst topography
Drawdown, subsidence, groundwater contamination
Drainage systems—drainage basin, watershed
Stream channels, discharge, stream gradient, stream velocity, base flow
Floodplain, flash floods, urbanization and flooding
Fluvial erosion, stream capacity, hydraulic action
Alluvium, braided streams, graded streams, meanders, nickpoints, downcutting, base level,
rejuvenated streams, entrenched meanders, alluvial terraces, cut bank, point bar, meander scar,
ox-bow lake, backswamp, natural levee
Mesa, butte, plateau, plain, badlands, canyon, alluvial fans, bajada
Deltas