Name______________________________ J#______
History of Earth Study Guide
This unit can be broken up into FOUR sections:
o Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics (J# 3- 12 and 18)
o Earthquakes (J#13- 15 and 18)
o Geologic Time (J# 3, 17, 18, and 19)
o Relative and Absolute Age Dating (J# 3, 5, 6, 20, and 21)
For Journals 3-12, START by reviewing J#12 (Quiz). What you do not understand, go back
to each Journal and review.
Journal # 3 Earth’s History and Structure
 Review this sheet in its entirety. Put each question on a flash card. It is actually a good
summary of most of the concepts.
Journal # 4 Convection Currents (notes and exit pass)
 How is a lava lamp a good model of convection currents in the Earth’s mantle?
o Be able to explain convection (transfer of heat through liquids and gases).
 If you get stuck, remember there is a question on J#9 addressing the same concept. My answer
for this is posted on the table of contents tab of www.mrs-twedt.com.
Journal # 5 Fun with Stratigraphy (law of superposition)
 What is the Law of Superposition?
 Be able to explain the Law of Superposition and identify examples of how it is used in relative
age dating (fossils in layers…where the layers are located).
Journal # 6 Who's on First? (Relative Age Dating using the Law of Superposition)
 Be able to explain the Law of Superposition and identify examples of how it is used in relative
age dating (fossils in layers…where the layers are located).
Journal # 7 Exploring Plate Tectonics (Brain Pop)
 Review this sheet and be familiar with the pictures that explain each plate boundary activity.
Journal # 8 Plate Boundaries and Fossil Evidence of Plate Tectonics Centers
 Review your answers and compare to mine online! I have also posted images of the maps to
help you with this content. This was the start to making sure you could identify actual locations
on the globe of plate boundaries. **See www.mrs-twedt.com *Table of contents J#8.
 Think: Why do some plates move more quickly and are more destructive than others?
Journal # 9 Plate Tectonics Webquest
 What are the layers of the earth (brief explanation)
o Crust, Mantle, Outer Core, Inner Core (and also the lithosphere and the asthenosphere).
 Explain how convection currents work/compare them to a lava lamp.
 2 types of divergent boundaries, 3 types of convergent boundaries, and 1 type of transform
boundary—what defines each one, give an explanation of what happens and what results at each
one, and an actual place on earth where each one occurs.
Journal # 10 Plate Tectonics Tree Map
 3 boundary types, subtypes, processes, events/structures, and actual locations. **VERY useful
tool to use for review. Be sure you REALLY understand this.
Journal # 11 Plate Tectonics (Clay Lab)
 Review introductory paragraphs and examples in the lab.
Journal #12 Plate Tectonics Quiz
 Review this in its entirety!
Journal #13 Slinky Lab, Journal #14 Earthquakes, and Journal #15 Earthquake Plotting Activity
 What are the types of waves associated with Earthquakes?
 What are the differences between these types of waves? Direction, damage, materials travelled
through, etc.
 What types of boundaries do we find earthquakes (all!!!) HOWEVER, convergent (subduction
zones) have the most damaging earthquakes..
Journal #16 FCAT Explorer Review----No need to do anything with this one!
Journal #17 Geologic Time Scale Questionnaire
 Go back and look at your original answers and FIX them. How far off were you? Make sure
you can find the correct answers.
Journal #18 Plate Tectonics Cornell Notes (Video) *Use for your own clarification
Journal #19 Geologic Timeline Mini-Project
 Be sure you understand that our learning objective was to put the timeline to scale in order to see
the insignificance of humans in the Earth’s history. We take up less than 1 mm on a strip of
paper that is almost 5 meters long. What is wrong with drawing conclusions about the earth
based on human perspective?
 Based on interpretations of rock units and changes in fossil life forms, geologists have divided
Earth’s history into manageable units that are represented by the geologic time scale.
o What defines an Eon?
o What defines an Era?
o Which is longer?
 What Epoch, Period, Era, and Eon do we live in?
Journal # 20 Relative Age Dating
 Review associated vocabulary and have a general understanding of what Relative Age Dating is.
Journal # 21 Absolute Age Dating
 Review associated vocabulary and have a general understanding of what Absolute Age Dating is.
REMEMBER—Use this page AND www.mrs-twedt.com to organize yourself AND check answers on posted
answer keys.
Study Game is Monday. Come prepared as if MONDAY was test day!!! Bring questions!
Test is Tuesday
Mrs. Twedt is open for lunch EVERY day until test day.