GEOL 1404
Fall 2010
Final Exam Review – Part II
Cenozoic Life (Chapters 18 and 19)
1. Epochs and periods of the Cenozoic Era in chronological order
2. Differences between European and North American Cenozoic time subdivisions
3. Reason that calcareous nannoplankton were abundant in Cretaceous and early Paleogene
seas and less abundant later
4. Differences between Cenozoic and Mesozoic terrestrial vegetation
5. Interaction between the evolution of Tertiary plants, invertebrates, and mammals
6. Groups of shellfish that became abundant in the Cenozoic Era
7. Characteristics, distribution, and origin of the three types of mammals
8. Major groups of placental mammals and their evolution during the Tertiary Period
9. Types of fish and marine mammals found in Tertiary deposits
10. Timing of the first evolution of monkeys and ape-like primates
11. Nature and evidence for climatic changes during the Tertiary Period
12. Unusual nature of the early Eocene climate and its probable cause
13. Timing of Tertiary extinctions and their relationship to climate
14. Characterize the changes in terrestrial vegetation during the Neogene Period
15. Explanation for the present distribution of marsupial mammals
16. Hypotheses proposed to explain the extinction of most large Pleistocene mammals
Key Terms
calcareous algae
mastodon
saber-toothed cat
primate
hexacoral
monotreme
savannah
hominid
Isthmus of Panama
ungulate
mammoth
placental
marsupial
Cenozoic Sedimentation and Tectonics (Chapters 18 and 19)
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Paleogene movement of tectonic plates their impact on ocean circulation
Characterize sedimentation and tectonics of the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains
Timing and features of the Laramide orogeny
Tertiary sedimentation in the Rocky Mountains, High Plains, and the Basin and Range
Tectonic origin of the Coast Ranges, Cascades, Columbia Plateau, and San Andreas fault
Cause for the Cretaceous to Oligocene eastward shift of volcanism in the continental U.S.
Location and formation of the Basin and Range, and the Rio Grande Rift
Timing for the last uplift of Sierra Nevada, Colorado Plateau, Rocky Mountains, and
Appalachians
9. Effects of the closing of the Tethys Seaway
10. Start of Cenozoic continental glaciations world-wide and in the Northern Hemisphere
11. Evidence for the Wisconsin glaciation
12. Extent of Pleistocene glaciations and pluvial lakes
13. Origin of the Great Lakes and the Great Salt Lake
14. Methods for determining the age of Pleistocene deposits
15. Potential causes for the fluctuations of Pleistocene climate
16. Time for the peak and end of the Wisconsin glaciation
Key Terms
Alpine orogeny
Basin and Range province
Bering land bridge
Channeled Scablands
Colorado Plateau
Farillon plate
glacial Great Lakes
Green River Formation
Heinrich event
High Plains
Himalayan orogeny
Lake Missoula
Laramide orogeny
oceanic conveyor belt
pluvial lake
Rio Grande rift
Wisconsin glaciation
Yellowstone hot spot
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