Exam I Outline (This is an outline, your notes from class are more detailed with diagrams and references to material in the lecture textbook, lab manual, and web resources):

PART I: INTRODUCTION.

A. What is science and scientific inquiry? What is geology?

B. Example important questions.

* New Orleans, petroleum, age of the Earth, earthquakes, etc.

C. How the Earth works.

1. Plate Tectonic Theory.

a. the Earth's solid crust is broken into plates.

b. Heat and convection.

c. Convection in the Asthenosphere.

• Isostasy, density, and buoyancy.

d. Plate boundaries.

e. Plate movement.

• MOR's, subduction, three types of plate boundaries.

2. Evidence that led to Plate Tectonic Theory.

a. Historical observations.

b. "Modern" understanding of the seafloor (1920-1970's)

c. Plate movements and age of the seafloor.

• magnetic reversals.

• deep sea drilling program.

d. Hot spots.

• magma source rooted in "stationary" mantle.

• outer core.

• examples.

e. If new crust forms at MOR's, is the Earth expanding?

PART II: COMPOSITION OF THE EARTH, ATOMS, MOLECULES AND MINERALS.

A. Earth's Internal Structure:

1. Compositional layers (crust, mantle, core).

2. Mechanical layers (lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesosphere, outer core, inner core).

3. Structure.

B. Composition of the Earth.

1. Whole Earth

2. Differentiation of elements.

3. Elements in the crust.

C. Earth is made of minerals.

1. What is a mineral?

2. Examples.

3. Mineraloids.

4. Rocks.

• Physical properties of minerals.
  (Crystal structure and composition are the 2 parameters that determine what mineral forms and control physical properties.)
  • Luster.
  • Cleavage.
  • Crystal faces
  • Hardness.
  • Color
  • Specific gravity (density).
  • Special properties (magnetism, taste, reaction with acid)

D. How to build a crystal.

1. Composition.

a. Atoms.

• elements
• greater than 106 known.
• 92 naturally occurring elements.
• atomic structure

b. Chemical compounds.

2. Crystal structure.

• Ionic bonds.
• Covalent bonds
• metallic bonds
• Hydrogen bonds.

3. Silicate minerals.

PART III: ROCKS AND PLATE TECTONICS

A. Rocks are logical assemblages of minerals.

B. The three rock types.

1. Igneous.
2. Sedimentary.
3. Metamorphic.