Friday, June 3, 2011

Final Exam Review

Earth Science Final Review

1. What are the three main types of fossil fuels and where did each originate?

2. Explain the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources.

3. What are the two potential sources of major earthquakes in Portland? Which one is more likely to cause the most damage?

4. Describe what causes an earthquake.

5. List the three types of plate boundaries and name a landform that is associated with each.

6. What scale measures the shaking force of an earthquake?

7. Explain the difference between quantitative and qualitative data. Give an example of each.

8. Compare shield volcanoes and composite volcanoes. Reference height, shape, and lava type.

9. Draw a line of triangles on the map below to indicate a major volcanic belt. Name this volcanic belt.


10. Name the following processes in the water cycle (1pt each)

1. Water is heated by the sun and moves into the atmosphere.

2. Water falls from the atmosphere.

3. Water moves downhill across the surface of the land.

4. Water seeps through soil into aquifers.

5. Water moves from plants into the atmosphere.

6. Water vapor becoming a cloud.

7. Water moving in aquifers below the surface of the ground.

11. What is a watershed?

12. Name ten ways you can reduce water use in your home.

13. Which sectors consume the most water in developed countries?

14. Which sectors consume the most water in undeveloped countries?

15. Explain how scientists use Carbon-14 to date fossils.

16. Explain the law of superposition.

17. Write the eras in order from most recent to oldest. Label each with their absolute dates and provide a description of each.

18. What are ten things that a coastal community can do reduce the damage done by a tsunami?

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Tsunami Preperation Simulation

Watch this video to complete the tsunami background information:


Follow this link to the simulation:
http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/en/home.html

Tsunami Preparation Simulation

Due: During Final Block

Background

1. What causes tsunamis?

2. How fast can tsunamis travel in the ocean?

3. What are the natural warning signs of an approaching tsunami?

4. What should you do if you observe the warning signs of a tsunami?

Tsunami Simulation

Procedure:

1. Follow the link on the blog.

2. Launch the game, read the instructions, and press continue/play.

3. Select the Tsunami scenario.

4. Choose your difficulty level.

5. Record data about your village and your objectives.

6. Play the game once. Record key facts that you uncover.

7. Record Results and answer follow up questions.

8. Develop an improved strategy based on what you have learned.

9. Play a second time. Record any additional key facts.

10. Record Results and answer the follow up questions.


1st Game:

5. What is your village’s population? What are your objectives?

6. What key facts have you discovered?

7. What were the results of the first game? Why did you succeed or fail at your objectives?

8. Based on your first game, explain your strategy for the second game.

9. What additional key facts did you discover?

10. What were the results of the second game? Was your new strategy effective? Why or why not?

11. Make a list of recommendations for coastal towns that face the threat of tsunamis.

12. Populations in coastal areas are increasing rapidly. In the US, more than half of the population lives in coastal counties and 10 of the 14 most populous cities reside along the coast. Should populations be limited in these areas? Is this even a real possibility?


Thursday, May 26, 2011

Geologic Time - Study Review

  1. How old is the Earth?
  2. Write the eras in order from most recent to oldest. Label each with their absolute dates and provide a description of each.
  3. Write the periods of the Mesozoic and Cenezoic from most recent to oldest.
  4. How do scientists know how old the earth is?
  5. Create a timeline for the following events using absolute dates.

    a. Formation of the Earth and Moon

    b. Earliest life

    c. Early land plants

    d. Largest Mass Extinction (Permian-Triassic extinction event)

    e. Dinosaur Extinction (Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event)

    f. “Lucy” Early Hominid
  6. Explain the law of superposition.
  7. If you start with 200 grams of Strontium-90, which has a half life of 28.8 years, how much Strontium-90 will you have after 6 half lives?
  8. What do we mean by half life? What kinds materials do we use this term with?

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Geologic Time Reading: Due 5/26/11

Reading


Follow Up Questions:

1. Why is relying on relative dating unreliable?

2. When did scientists begin to precisely calculate the absolute dates of organic remains?

3. If the half life of Carbon 14 is 5,730 years, and you find a plant with an 1/8th of the Carbon 14 of a living plant, how old is the plant you found?

4. Can scientists use carbon dating to estimate the age of the Earth? Why or why not?

5. What elements are used to “radiometricly” date rocks from the Pre-archean eon?

6. How old are the oldest rocks found on Earth? Where are they found?

7. Why can’t we assume that the Earth is as old as the oldest rocks we have found on Earth?

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Visitor 5/5/11

We have a visitor coming to class on Thursday to talk about soil and water conservation, recycling, waste, and resource management. She works for Waste Management and helps run the non-profit Depave.

Rocks, Weathering and Erosion Quiz Review

1. Draw and label the rock cycle below. Include the following:

a. The three major rock types

b. Sediment and magma

c. Arrows labeled with the processes of melting; cooling and crystallizing; weathering and erosion; deposition and cementation; intense heat and pressure.

2. Using complete sentences, explain the difference between intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks. Discuss where each is formed, how it cools, and what types of grains are associated with each. Finally, GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF EACH.

3. Classify each of the following as either a mineral, a rock or an ore.

a. Calaverite is composed of tellurium and gold. It is mined for to produce valuable jewelry.

b. Albite is a type of feldspar that crystallizes in nearly right angle prisms. Commonly found in many types of rocks, it is the most common type of feldspar.

c. Basalt is often found in flows near volcanoes. It is dark and contains small air bubbles in places where gas was trapped in the cooling magma.

4. Explain which resource is more economically viable for extracting aluminum (Al), the ore bauxite Al(OH)3 or the recycled aluminum alloy Al3SC. (HINT: Use the atomic weights like we did with the Cookie Mining Lab).

5. What is the difference between weathering and erosion?

6. What are the two main types of weathering?

7. How is chemical weathering different than physical weathering?

8. Identify four types of physical weathering and two types of chemical weathering.

9. Identify and explain four types of erosion processes.

10. Explain why the Grand Canyon is so deep?

11. Explain why the Grand Canyon is so wide?

12. Which type of weathering creates distinctive v-shaped valleys?

13. Which type of weathering creates distinctive u-shaped valleys?

14. What type of rock is granite? How is it formed?

15. What type of rock is shale? How is it formed?

16. What type of rock is slate? How is it formed?

17. What type of rock is sandstone? How is it formed?

18. What type of rock is marble? How is it formed?

19. What type of rock is limestone?

20. Why is the statue of Liberty green?

21. What is the difference between alpine glaciers and continental glaciers?

22. Explain deposition and cementation.

23. How are the rates of weathering and erosion affected by climate?


Chemical Weathering Review


Alpine Glacial Erosion Review


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Reading: Due Friday 4/22






  1. How does Marlow describe Geology in relation to other sciences?
  2. The article describes Lauren as a sedimentologist. What does she study and why is this important?
  3. Initial investigators thought that Kilborne Hole may have been formed by a meteor. Describe what Geologists now believe caused this formation.
  4. What types of flows can create crossbedding in rocks?
  5. How are lapilli and volcanic bombs formed?
  6. Small spherical rocks containing the mineral hematite are found on both Mars and Earth. However, scientists believe that these rocks were formed in different ways. How do Geologists believe the formation of "blueberries" on mars differs from the formation of lapilli spheres in the base surge deposits?
Rates of Weathering




1 As dramatic as the process of weathering sounds, it does not happen overnight. In fact, some instances of mechanical and chemical weathering may take hundreds of years. An example would be the dissolving of limestone through carbonation. Limestone dissolves at an average rate of about one-twentieth of a centimeter every 100 years. If you want to see a layer of limestone (about 150 meters thick) dissolve, plan on watching that layer for about 30 million years.

2 Where we see the effects of weathering often is on our stone monuments and buildings and large rock structures. However, before you can analyze the rate at which these structures are weathering, you need to understand the factors that affect weathering rates. The weathering rate for rocks depends on the composition of the rock; the climate of the area; the topography of the land; and the activities of humans, animals, and plants.

3 A rock's composition has a huge effect on its weathering rate. Rock that is softer and less weather-resistant tends to wear away quickly. What is left behind is harder, more weather-resistant rock. This process is called differential weathering. Quartz is one type of rock whose composition, especially its crystalline structure, makes it resistant to mechanical and chemical weathering. This is why quartz remains unchanged on the Earth's surface after surrounding sedimentary rock has been eroded. There are some rocks, like limestone, that weather more rapidly. Limestone has the compound calcite. It is the carbonization of calcite that causes the increased rate of weathering of limestone. The material found in sediment grains also affects the rate of weathering. The mechanical weathering of rocks like shale and sandstone causes their grains to break up over time and become sand and clay particles. Why? Well, the grains in these two types of rocks are not cemented together firmly. Rocks like conglomerates and sandstones have grains that are cemented strongly with silicates. These rocks and other similar types tend to resist weathering. Geologists have also found that they may resist weathering longer than some types of igneous rocks.

4 A rock's exposure to the weathering elements and its surface area can affect its rate of weathering. Rocks that are constantly bombarded by running water, wind, and other erosion agents, will weather more quickly. Rocks that have a large surface area exposed to these agents will also weather more quickly. As a rock goes through chemical and mechanical weathering, it is broken into smaller rocks. As you can imagine, every time the rock breaks into smaller pieces its surface area or part exposed to weathering is increased. Think about a cube, which has both volume and surface area. To find the surface area of a cube, you need to calculate the sum of the areas for all six sides. Let this cube represent our rock that is exposed to weathering. Already our cube has six sides that are exposed to the elements. If we split our cube into eight smaller cubes, then the total surface area would be doubled. Although the surface area increases, the volume remains constant. Splitting the eight smaller cubes in the same way would have the same effect; the surface area would again be doubled. Increased surface area causes rocks to weather more rapidly.

Follow Up Questions
  1. Which factors affect the rate of weathering?
  2. Explain the concept of differential weathering in your own words.
  3. Explain how exposure affects the rate of weathering.
Take this quick quiz to test your knowledge:
http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0078617529/student_view0/chapter2/section1/self-check_quiz-eng_.html

Weathering Lab Follow Up

Lab 1 – Carbonated Water with Rocks

· What does the carbonated water approximate in the real world?

· What type of weathering does this model?

Lab 2 – Vinegar and Copper Pennies

· What does the vinegar approximate in the real world?

· What does the copper penny approximate?

Lab 3 – Antacid Tablets in Water

· What type of weathering did you approximate by smashing one of the tablets?

· How did smashing the tablet affect the rate of weathering?

· How does this relate to the weathering of rocks?

Lab 4 – Vinegar and Chalk

· What does the chalk represent in the real world?

· What does the vinegar approximate in the real world?

· What type of weathering does this model?

Lab 6 – Tap Water and Steel Wool

· What does the steel wool approximate in the real world?

· What type of weathering does this model?

Lab 7 – Shaking Sugar Cubes/Rocks

· What type of weathering was modeled by shaking the jars?

· Why did one substance “weather” more than the other?

· What could this mean for the rate at which different types of rocks weather?

Friday, April 15, 2011

Interactive Rock Cycle Review

Visit the link below to review the rock cycle and rock types. Print of your test when you are finished.

http://www.learner.org/interactives/rockcycle/

Visit this link to review some common types of rock. If you're having a really hard time identifying the rocks, read the background information listed below under "Common Rocks and Minerals."

http://www.kidsgeo.com/geology-games/rocks-game.php

Common Rocks and Minerals
Igneous:
Metamorphic
Sedimentary
Minerals

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Water Unit Quiz Review

Materials to Review
  • "Calculating Earth's Water Distribution" - mini Lab/worksheet
  • "Water Use Background Reading" - reading/questions
  • "Notes: Earth's Water and Water Cycle" - notes/worksheet
  • "Portland's Water" - blog/worksheet
  • "Household Water Consumption Reflection" - worksheet
  • Student Presentations: Global Water Crisis - notes
Key Terms/Concepts
  • consumption
  • degradation
  • polar vs. non-polar substances
  • renewable water supply
  • solubility
  • turbidity
  • watershed
  • water reservoir
  • water stress
  • withdrawal
  • water cycle

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Mark You Calandar: World Water Day 3/22/11

World Water day is quickly approaching on the 22nd of March. We will be gone on spring break, but that doesn't mean you can't participate. Visit the World Water Day website to find out about events across the globe.

http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/index.html


If you will still be in Portland on the 22nd, then check events for the city. You are invited to invited to participate in the third annual Walk for Water on Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 1 p.m. at the World Trade Center, located at SW First and Salmon Streets in downtown Portland.

http://www.worldwaterdaypdx.com/


Here's a Video from the 2010 Walk for Water.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Local Drinking Water

Watch this short clip to begin learning about Portland's drinking water.


Now visit the Portland Water Bureau's website to get the rest of the details.

http://www.portlandonline.com/water/index.cfm?c=29332


When you done check out this video to see what exactly a watershed is:



Visit the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services to learn about the watersheds inside Portland: http://www.portlandonline.com/bes/index.cfm?c=32184

Monday, February 14, 2011

Newsflash: Mount St. Helens Is Shaking It Up for Valentines Day!

Could the Earth know about the day of love? Perhaps the beautiful maiden Loowit (Mount St. Helens) is pining for her old suitors Wy'east (Mt. Hood) and Klickitat (Mt. Adams).
One thing is for sure: this morning at 10:35am pacific time, there was a Moment Magnitute 4.3 earthquake three and a half miles East of Mount St. Helens. Then there was a 2.3 MM aftershock a little before noon.
What where you doing this morning? Did you feel the quake? If you did, you can help the USGS make their shake map by providing information about when and where you felt it.
Do you want to stay up to date on recent quakes? Check out the USGS Latest Earthquake map: (Click Here). While you will hear a fair amount about the Helen's earthquake because its relatively close to populated areas, you probably won't hear about events like the 5.2 MM quake of the Oregon coast last Tuesday. That's nearly ten times stronger that the earthquake that happened this morning!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Hydrological Cycle

In order to complete the list of major processes in the hydrological cycle (water cycle) please visit the following link. The animation includes more than simple definitions of each process, so you need to condense the information into a simple explanation. In doing so, describe where the water is moving to and whether it undergoes a phase change from one state of matter to another.

The Hydrological Cycle (flash animation)
The Hydrological Cycle (text version) - try this if the flash version doesn't work.

**********UPDATE: the links above aren't working! Try one of the options below to complete your definitions.*******************

Try this First: http://polaris.umuc.edu/cvu/envm/hydro/hydrologic-flash.html
Try this Second: http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/water_cycle_version2.html

In order to make the flash animation you need to have Adobe Flash player installed. This free web application can be downloaded here: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/otherversions/

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Poster Guidelines


Poster (Due Thursday 1/13)

Your poster will provide a visual guide to the concepts discussed in your paper. You will be expected to reference the poster during your presentation. Graphs, charts, and other quantitative visuals will thus help to support your main ideas. The Poster should be professional in appearance, engaging and relevant to your topic.

Poster must include the following elements (note: highly proficient posters will go beyond these minimum requirements):

· Title

· Minimum of 3 quantitative visuals and 1 visual depicting the mechanics of your resource.

· Citations for each visual used.

· A concise paragraph explaining what your resource is and how it is used.


Presentation (during final exam block)

You will use your poster to deliver a five-minute presentation about your renewable energy source. In you presentation you need to concisely explain the main points of your paper:

· What is your resource?

· How is it used?

· What are the major benefits?

· What are the major drawbacks?


Highly proficient papers will demonstrate the following characteristics:

· Clear and organized explanation.

· Multiple references to visuals on the posters.

· Inclusion of informative and interesting quantitative data.

· Strong grasp of subject matter.