1st Semester Post Test Study Guide 2010 – 2011 KEY
1. Define mineral (hint: 5 characteristics).
mineral: naturally occurring, inorganic, solid, with a crystal structure, and a definite chemical
composition
2. List the properties that you can use to distinguish one mineral from another.
properties include: luster, hardness, streak, color, density, crystal structure, cleavage vs.
fracture
3. Rocks are made up of ____________.
Minerals – a MIXTURE of minerals
4. Tell how rocks are classified.
classified by HOW they form
5. List the 3 rock groups. What processes form each group? List two common rock examples for
each group.
igneous: from the cooling of molten material - magma and lava (granite, basalt) remember:
slow cooling=coarse-grained; fast cooling=fine-grained
sedimentary: form in layers, in areas near or in water, by the 4 step weathering process
(shale, sandstone, conglomerate, coal, limestone)
metamorphic: from heat and pressure deep within the Earth (gneiss, slate, quartzite, marble)
remember: foliated and non-foliated
6. Draw the rock cycle; be sure to label the processes.
(drawing with arrows)
7. Explain the Law of Superposition. Then, draw example rock layers; label the oldest and the
youngest layers.
in horizontal rock layers, the oldest is at the bottom; each higher layer is younger;
tells relative ages of rocks and fossils
8. Describe the difference between absolute age and relative age.
relative age: the age compared to the ages of other rocks
absolute age: the number of years since the rock was formed
9. Name the method used to determine absolute age.
radioactive dating (also known as radiometric dating) – measures the radioactive decay of
unstable elements
10. Describe what paleontologists can learn from studying fossils.
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can learn about:
how life has changed over time (from simple to more complex)
past environments and how Earth’s surface has changed
past climates
11. Fossil evidence shows that life has changed in what way?
from simple to complex
12. What are natural resources?
useful or necessary supplies from nature
13. Define nonrenewable and renewable energy resources. Give examples of each.
Nonrenewable: resources that are used much faster than they are formed (ex. fossil fuels:
coal, oil, natural gas)
Renewable: resources that can be continuously reused or replaced as fast as they are used
(ex. Sun, wind, water, trees, biomass, but NOT nuclear)
14. List some ways we can conserve resources.
(list conservation ideas)
Water: don’t water yard in middle of day, don’t leave water running, only run washer when
full
Energy: turn off lights and appliances, adjust heat and air conditioning, make sure
windows are caulked and house is well-insulated
Soil: plant ground cover, farmers rotate crops, do terracing, plant wind breaks
15. List the three types of fossil fuels.
Coal, oil (petroleum), natural gas
16. List and explain alternative energy resources.
these are resources that can be used instead of burning fossil fuels
(such as fuel cells, solar energy, wind, hydroelectric, biomass fuels, geothermal energy,
and nuclear energy)
REMEMBER: wind and water are both indirect forms of solar
17. What is pollution?
harmful substances in water, air, or on land
(biggest factor: using nonrenewable energy/fossil fuels)
18. What causes most water and air pollution?
activities of….. humans!
19. List the layers of the Earth’s from surface to interior.
Crust, Mantle, Outer Core, Inner Core
20. What are the two kinds of crust? Describe each.
The crust includes both the dry land and the ocean floor. It is thinnest beneath the
ocean and thickest under high mountains.
Continental crust: consists mainly of less dense rocks such as granite.
Oceanic Crust: consists mostly of dense rocks such as basalt.
21. Which layer is: hottest, coolest, most dense, least dense, and thinnest?
hottest: inner core
coolest: crust
most dense: inner core
Least dense and thinnest: crust
22. As you descend to the center of the Earth, what happens to temperature, pressure, and
density? Why?
Temperature, pressure and density increase; due to the rock above
23. What are the three types of heat transfer? Describe and draw an example of each.
Radiation: through empty space; sun or campfire
Conduction: through direct contact; touch a hot object
Convection: movement through a heated fluid; soup
24. List and describe the three types of evidence Wegener used to support his theory of
Continental Drift. Why was his theory not accepted?
Evidence from landforms, fossils, climate changes; no explanation for cause of movement
25. What causes the lithospheric plates to move?
Convection currents in the asthenosphere just below the lithosphere
26. Wegener was missing information to explain how the continents moved. What processes did
Harry Hess discover to make Wegener’s theory more accepted?
He studied maps from sonar and discovered sea-floor spreading and subduction at deepocean trenches, which explained movement.
27. Explain why the Earth is not getting larger even though the Atlantic Ocean floor is expanding.
Spreading plates of the sea floor push the continents, there are few trenches; on the
Pacific side there are many trenches.
28. What is sea-floor spreading? What is a trench? What is subduction?
a. at mid-ocean ridge, molten material erupts, spreads out, pushes old rock away on both
sides; continually adds new material
b. a deep under water canyon where subduction occurs
c. the ocean floor sinks beneath and back into the mantle
29. Draw and describe the three types of stresses.
Tension: pulls on crust (arrows pointing outward)
Compression: squeezes rock (arrows pointing inward)
Shearing: pushes rock in opposite directions (arrows back&forth)
30. Complete the table below:
Boundary Type
Divergent
Stress
Tension
Fault Type
Normal fault
Landform(s)
Mid-ocean
Ridge/Rift Valley
Convergent
Compression
Reverse fault
Transform
Shearing
Strike-Slip Fault
Mountains and
Deep-Ocean
Trenches
San Andreas
Fault
31. Why are there so many earthquakes and volcanoes in the Ring of Fire?
This is along the rim of the Pacific plate, along plate boundaries.
32. What is an earthquake?
The shaking from the movement of rock beneath Earth’s surface; release of energy
33. What is a volcano?
Weak spot in crust where magma has come to the surface
34.Explain the two types of weathering. Give examples of each.
chemical and mechanical processes that break down the surface
Mechanical weathering is the type of weathering in which rock is physically broken into
smaller pieces. Ex. ice wedging, abrasion, plants, animals, release of pressure
Chemical weathering is the process that breaks down rock through chemical changes. Ex.
oxidation, carbonic acid, acid rain
35. What is erosion? List the agents.
rock and soil are moved by water, wind, ice, gravity; ex. a river, glacier
36. Define deposition. Give examples.
sediment settles out and is dropped in a new location; ex. delta at end of river, till of a
glacier
37. How can water flowing through an area cause a drastic change in the landscape (such as
forming the Providence Canyon in GA)?
Weathering (breaking down) and erosion (carrying away)
38. List some human activities that would cause erosion.
See p. 229-233
Clearing land, cutting trees, plowing fields, mining activities
(ex. Dust Bowl)
39. What are ways we can prevent erosion?
Re-plant, contour plowing, crop rotation
40. What is soil? List the layers of soil in order.
Mixture of: rock particles, minerals, decayed organic matter(humus), air, water
Horizon A (topsoil)
Horizon B (subsoil)
Horizon C (partly weathered bedrock)
Bedrock