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