This study guide cannot be used on the test, but answering the questions and using this to study will dramatically improve your test score!
Bedrock Geology Study Guide
What are the three main types of rock and how are they formed?
How are igneous rocks classified?
What is the difference between intrusive and extrusive igneous rock?
(where, crystal size, types of rocks)
Where does granite and basalt typically form?
What are the two main types of faults? What type of force creates each?
What are:
Principle of Superposition
Principle of Original Horizontality
Principle of Lateral Continuity
Principle of Crosscutting Relationships
Volcanoes
What is the Ring of Fire? Where is it located?
What is the silica content of magma that has a low viscosity? High?
Be able to read a simple topographic map and answer questions about the map.
Why are volcanoes in Hawaii different than those in the Cascades?
How are intrusive igneous rocks different than extrusive igneous rocks?
What are some signs that a volcano is possibly going to erupt?
How are shield volcanoes made? Composite volcanoes? Cinder cones?
What is the difference between magma and lava?
How does igneous rock form?
How does the amount of cooling time affect the size of crystals in igneous rock?

Complete the following table relating silica to the other characteristics
Silica
Content
HIGH
LOW
Type of Volcano produced
Viscosity of lava
Explosiveness of volcano

Plate Tectonics
What happens to density if you increase the temperature of a substance?
Decrease the temperature?
What are the layers of the Earth (4) in order from the center out?
What happens at an ocean/continent convergent boundary? (What do the plates do, what landforms are made?) Give 2 examples.
What happens at an ocean/ocean convergent boundary? (What do the plates do, what landforms are made?) Give 2 examples.
What happens at a continent/continent convergent boundary? (What do the plates do, what landforms are made?) Give 2 examples.
What happens at a divergent boundary? (What do the plates do, what landforms are made?) Give 2 examples.
How are volcanoes formed along a convergent boundary?
At what type of boundary is plate created?
At what type of boundary is plate destroyed?
As you move across a mid-ocean ridge, how does the age of the rocks change? How does the temperature of the rocks change?

Earthquakes
How are the focus and epicenter related to each other?
How are earthquakes related to the location of plate boundaries?
What is a seismograph, seismometer, seismogram?
Do humans feel most of the earthquakes that occur each year – or very few?
What causes an earthquake?
What is a fault?
What does intensity measure? What scale is used?
What does magnitude measure? What scale is used?

Oceans
How does an El Nino negatively impact the fishing industry in South
America?
How do sea surface temperatures change in the equatorial Pacific during an El Nino?
Given a set of data that compares temperatures and salinities, be able to determine which would be found at the greatest depth.
Where would you expect to find the highest salinity levels? (depth and latitude)
Why is the Peru Current a cold current?

Severe Weather
What are the main “ingredients” of a cloud? (What’s needed to make a cloud?)
How do you “calculate” how far away lightning is from you?
What are the stages of a thunderstorm? What occurs at each stage?
What are the layers of the atmosphere? Can you tell the difference between atmosphere and Earth layers?

Astronomy
What is the average distance from the Earth to the Sun? (AU, miles, km)
What alignment of the Earth, Moon and Sun cause the spring and neap tides?
What force creates the ocean’s tides?
Why does the Earth have fewer visible craters than the Moon?
How would you b est describe the shape of the Earth’s orbit?
What would happen to the seasons if the tilt of the Earth changed?
How does wavelength and energy change across the electromagnetic spectrum?
What is the correct order of the electromagnetic spectrum?