AREA’S OF REVIEW FOR THE EARTH SCIENCE FINAL
Geologic Time (chapter 21)
 Describe the geologic time scale (what is it & how is it constructed)
 Identify the Geo. Time scale divisions & their order (eon, era, period, epoch)
 Principle of uniformitarianism
 Geologic principles (original horizontality, superposition, cross-cutting relationships)
 Relative age of rock determined by (Inclusions, unconformity, cross-cutting relationships)
 Absolute dating methods (dendrochronology (tree rings), radioactive decay, & radiocarbon)
 Know what evolution is by definition
 Methods by which fossils can be preserved (original preservation, permineralization, index fossils,
mold, cast)
 General understanding of the events of geologic history (era dinosaurs lived/died, when abundant life
first appeared, largest extinction, era mammals became dominant, etc.)
The Sun-Earth-Moon System (chapter 28)
 Electromagnetic radiation (types of light & wavelengths)
 Tools of astronomy
 Telescope types & Interferometry
o Ground based vs. space based astronomy
o Telescopes using light other than the visible part of spectrum
 Lunar properties (highlands, craters, rays, rilles, albedo etc.)-why craters on the moon & not Earth?
 Composition of the moon
 Impact Theory of Moon’s formation
 Phases of the Moon (know the waxing and waning phases)
 Eclipses (know how eclipses and phases relate) – how to the umbra and penumbra relate to eclipses
 Relationships between the Sun, Moon, and Earth (solstices, equinoxes, daily motions, annual motions,
apogee, & perigee)
 Reasons for the seasons
Our Solar System (chapter 29)
 Heliocentric model of our solar system (perihelion, aphelion & astronomical units)
 Relate gravity to the motions of celestial bodies (Kepler’s first, second and third law)
 Properties of terrestrial planets & gas giant planets
 Comets & Asteroids (meteoroid, meteor, meteorite) – what are they and what’s the difference
 Characteristics of dwarf planets
Stars/Sun (chapter 30)
 Parts of the Sun (photosphere, chromosphere, corona, solar winds, sunspots, solar flares, prominence)
 Solar interior (fusion, fission)
 Solar composition (hydrogen/helium)
 Stellar spectra (continuous, absorption, emission) & star composition
 Types of stars (super-giants, white dwarfs, main sequence)
 Properties of stars (magnitude, apparent magnitude, absolute magnitude, luminosity)
 What properties make a star bright?
 Classification of stars (spectral types O,B,A,F,GK,M)
 Doppler Effect & wavelength shifts- (blue-shift vs. red-shift)
 H-R diagrams
 Star formation (nebula, protostar, white dwarfs, supernovae, neutron star, black hole)
Galaxies and the Universe (chapter 31)
 Characteristics of the Milky Way Galaxy (halo, nuclear bulge, disk, globular clusters, spiral arms,
population I vs. population II, & where’s most of it’s mass found)
 Usefulness of variable stars, RR Lyrae variables, and Cepheid variables & quasars
 Classification of galaxies (elliptical, barred spirals, spiral, irregular))
 Expansion theories of the Universe (Hubble’s Law/Hubble constant – farther a galaxy is the faster it
moves)
 Cosmology-study of the Universe
 Big Bang theory (cosmic back ground radiation, expansion rate, unknown force is accelerating the
expansion of the universe)
 What is the Doppler Effect? (know blue-shifts & red-shifts)
Atmosphere (chapter 11)
 Atmospheric composition (key gases, ozone)
 Structure of the atmosphere (troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere)
 Energy transfer (radiation, conduction, convection)
 Properties of the atmosphere (temperature, dew point, condensation, wind)
 Vertical temperature changes (lifted condensation level, adiabatic lapse rate)
 What are temperature inversions?
 Relative humidity vs. humidity (how are dew point & saturation related)
 Cloud formation)
o Processes that lift air (condensation nuclei, orographic lifting, frontal wedging, & convection)
o Lifted condensation level
o Condensation nuclei
 Atmospheric stability vs. instability
 Latent heat during phase changes of water (evaporation absorbs heat, condensation releases heat)
 Characteristics of cloud groups (cirrus, cumulus, stratus, nimbus)
 Precipitation (coalescence)
 Water cycle (evaporation, condensation, runoff, groundwater, precipitation)
 Energy budget- balance of temperatures), absorption vs. reflection
 Condensation nuclei and their relation to cloud formation
Meteorology (chapter 12)
 Weather vs Climate
 Types of air masses/where they form (A, mP, mT, cP, cT)
 Air mass modification & stability (ch 11)
 Coriolis effect- deflects air due to Earths rotation (N. Hemisphere vs. S. Hemisphere)
 Wind systems/ and locations- (polar easterlies, prevailing westerlies, trade winds, jet stream)
 Types of fronts/symbols for fronts/characteristics for fronts (cold, warm, stationary, occluded)
 Compare and contrast high pressure systems to low pressure systems
 Weather instruments (thermometer, barometer, anemometer, hygrometer, ceilometers, radiosonde)
 Weather radar vs weather satellites (infrared imagery)
The Nature of Storms (chapter 13)
 Formation of thunderstorms
 Dangers of Severe thunderstorms (lightning, hail, high winds, and floods)
 General steps in the formation of tornadoes
 Tornado safety
 Formation of hurricanes/dangers of hurricanes
 Classification of hurricanes-Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale
 Origin of tropical cyclones
 Life cycle of a tropical cyclone
 Cold waves vs heat waves
 Cause of lightning
 Description of a draught