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Material Type: Exam; Class: Physical Geology; Subject: Geology; University: Marshall ; Term: Spring 2009;
Typology: Exams
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Chapter 7: Metamorphic Rocks
Describe how the term parent rock applies to metamorphic rock. Know the common metamorphic rock types and their parent rocks. Explain how composition of a parent rock, temperature, pressure, fluids and time all determine the characteristics of a metamorphic rock. Explain what is meant by differential stress , how it develops, and how it produces foliated texture in metamorphic rocks. What criteria are used to classify metamorphic rocks and what does a rock’s classification tell about its origin? Describe the three types of metamorphism. How is partial melting of pre-existing rocks related to metamorphism? Describe how pressure-temperature conditions and geothermal gradient vary in a subduction zone.
Chapter 8: Geologic Time
Discuss the difference between uniformitarianism and actualism and what these principles imply about geologic time. Discuss the two different methods for measuring geologic time. Give examples. Give the definitions of formation and contact. Be familiar with the different principles of placing geologic events or formations in relative order: superposition, original horizontality, cross-cutting relationships. Given a block diagram that shows the geology of an area (such as Fig. 8.1), be able to use these principles to list the relative order of geologic events that must have occurred. Be able to discuss the definition of an unconformity , the different types of unconformities and their significance in interpreting the span of geologic time represented. Discuss the idea of correlation and the different methods used to correlate geologic formations. Be familiar with the geologic eras and general time frame of each era. Define radioactive decay and how decay of radioactive isotopes is used for numerical dating of rocks. What is the definition of a half life? Given the proportions of parent isotope and daughter product and the half-life, be able to determine age of a rock with a graph such as 8.22a What is radon and why is it a potential health hazard? What types of rock produce radon? Among the radioactive isotopes used for numerical dating, explain the special significance of radiocarbon dating. What types of materials can be dated using this technique? Discuss the factors that can lead to inaccurate numerical dating. Describe how relative and numerical dating can be combined to determine definite windows of time during which geologic events occurred. See Fig. 8.23.
Chapter 16: Earthquakes
Define and distinguish stress and strain. Discuss the different types of stress and how they relate to the three basic types of plate boundaries? Discuss the different types of strain. Define and explain the significance of elastic rebound. Define and explain the meaning of the terms fault, focus and epicenter. Discuss the different types of seismic waves ( body and surface ) and their sub-types ( primary , secondary , Love and Raleigh ). Which are the most destructive and why? Explain how a seismograph measures an earthquake and produces a seismogram. Explain how seismograms allow the distance to an epicenter and the Richter magnitude of an earthquake to be determined. What two pieces of information are required from a seismogram to calculate the magnitude? Discuss the three methods used to describe the size (severity) of an earthquake. How much more ground motion occurs for each number on the Richter scale? How much more energy is released for each number on the Richter scale. What are the common types of damage caused directly by ground motion from earthquakes? What types of buildings are most vulnerable to damage? What are the common indirect (secondary) effects of an earthquake that often cause more death, injury and damage than ground motion? Define liquefaction. What are the two areas on earth where earthquakes are concentrated? Explain the types of earthquakes ( shallow-, intermediate- and deep-focus ) that characterize the different types of plate boundaries. Describe how the pattern of earthquakes in a subduction zone defines a Benioff Zone and the angle of subduction. Discuss how paleoseismology can be used to identify seismic gaps , recurrence intervals of major earthquakes and predict future earthquakes. Discuss the most likely scenarios for future catastrophic earthquakes in California (see Box 16.3). Do the most likely scenarios involve earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault? What do seismic waves tell geologists about boundaries and material properties within the interior of the earth, such as the crust-mantle boundary, the lithosphere- asthenosphere boundary and core-mantle boundary?