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Geology 12 Study Guide: What you need to know for the exam

BIG IDEAS Topics Subtopics


Minerals & Rock Cycle Rock-forming minerals (quartz, feldspars (K, Plag), micas), silicates
vs non-silicates, properties, rock cycle, pyrite, olivine, biotite
Igneous rocks Magma, Bowens reaction series, composition (mafic vs felsic),
texture (aphanitic, phaneritic, porphyritic, vesicular, glassy),
extrusive (composite volcano, shield volcano, cinder cone, lava
plateau, columnar basalts, pillow lava) vs intrusive (sill, dyke,
batholith, neck, laccolith, lapolith, xenolith, chilled margin, aa,
pahoehoe, ash fall), granite, basalt
Sedimentary rocks Sediment: clastic (gravel, sand, silt, clay), chemical (limestone,
saltrock, gypsum), biochemical (limestone, CaCO3), grain size,
Earths Materials rounding, sorting, energy of transport, sedimentary structures
(beds, varves, graded bedding, cross bedding, ripple marks,
mudcracks), sedimentary environments (river, desert, beach,
shallow sea, deep ocean, lakes), sandstone, shale, conglomerate
Metamorphic rocks Regional vs contact metamorphism, temperature, confining vs
directed pressure, foliated vs non-foliated(quartzite, marble),
recrystallization, parent rock, metamorphic grade (shale->slate-
>schist->gneiss) changes in: crystal size, density, porosity
Resources Fossil fuels (coal, oil natural gas), mining metals (copper, gold,
molybdenum), alternative energy sources (solar, wind, hydro,
nuclear, geothermal, biomass), climate change, sea level rise
Relative dating & laws Stratigraphy, uniformitarianism, laws (superposition, original
horizontality, crosscutting, lateral continuity, inclusions, correlation
faunal succession, index fossils, unconformities angular
unconformities, disconformities, nonconformities)
Geologic Time & Absolute dating Radiometric dating, radioactive decay, parent vs daughter isotopes,
half-life, dates, radiocarbon dating, uranium-lead, potassium-argon
Stratigraphy
Fossils Fossilization types (original preservation, carbonization,
replacement, permineralization, cast/mold, trace fossils), conditions
required for fossilization, trilobites, ammonites, dinosaurs
Geologic Time Scale Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic, eras, periods, dates,
mass extinction events, Pangaea
Weathering & Erosion Weathering (physical, chemical, biological), erosion, transport,
deposition
Mass wasting Creep, debris flow, avalanche, slump, landslide, rock fall, angle of
repose, talus slope, causes and controls of mass wasting
Glacial processes Alpine vs continental, zone of accumulation, snow line, zone of
ablation, erosive features (U-shape valleys, hanging valleys, cirque,
arte, horn, nunatuk, striations), depositional features (moraines,
erratics drumlins, esker, kettle lakes, outwash plain, , glacial till)
Surface Processes
Running water Streams (bed load, suspended load, dissolved load), velocity,
processes gradient, discharge, meanders, cut bank, point bars, oxbow lakes,
deltas, V-shaped valley
Groundwater Porosity, permeability, zone of aeration, zone of saturation, water
processes table, unconfined vs confined aquafers, cone of depression, artesian
well, perched water table, contamination
Wind processes Deflation vs abrasion, desert pavement, blowouts, ventifacts,
arches, sand dunes, ripples
Plate tectonics Alfred Wergner, continental drift, Pangaea, Harry Hess, seafloor
spreading, plate tectonics theory, convection, ridge push, slab pull,
fossils, mid-ocean ridge, polar reversals
Plate boundaries Divergent, convergent (continental-continental, continental-oceanic,
Plate Tectonics oceanic-oceanic), transform, hot spot (Hawaii), ring of fire,
Theory subduction, volcanoes, earthquakes, trenches, ridges, rifts
Earthquakes 1700 Cascadia earthquake, fault, epicenter, focus, waves (P, S, L),
measuring intensity (Magnitude scale = Richter) vs damage
(Mercalli scale), tsunami, liquefaction, layers of the earth (crust,
mantle, outer core, inner core, lithosphere, asthenosphere, MOHO)
You will get a data package with the following information:
Properties of Common and Important Minerals
Bowens Reaction Series
Percentage of Minerals in Igneous Rocks
Isotope Pairs used for Radiometric Dating
Development of Life Through Time chart
Geologic Time Scale
Fossil samples
P- and S- Seismic Wave Travel Time Graph
Modified Mercalli Scale
Solar System Data Table

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