PLANET EARTH FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE REVIEW SHEET TEST 1 Lecture 1 1 Criteria for constructing the geological time scale Geological Time Scale representation a metric a tool or diagram to demonstrate ancient time ruler or device to measure rock layers o Ga billions of years Ma millions of years Ka thousands of years Ex polar ice sheets we have now but didn t always exist Three components of a G T S o Presence or absence o Evolution of living things Ex biological change over time o Extinctions and originations of species Ex dinosaurs reptiles Hadian Archean PRECAMBRIAN Proterozoic Paleozoic Mesozoic PHANEROZOIC Cenozoic 2 The present is used to understand the past we live in the CENOZOIC 3 Law of superposition Layer Cake Rule Strata at bottom of a sequence of rock layers formed first and strata at the top is formed last 4 Stratigraphy Science of relative dating methods study of sequence of geological layers in time and in space law of superposition studying stratum or strata 5 Numerical dating method Tells you by how much something is in relation to another thing o Deals w radioactivity isotopes 14C 40K 40Ar o Carbon isotope radioactivity isotopes o Potassium Argon o Material time dependent 6 Half life Time it takes for of parent to decay into daughter 7 Potassium and argon dating system Older Time Dating Method it takes 1 billion years for of potassium to decay into argon 1 Universe Galaxies Solar Systems Stars planets o Giant cloud of Hydrogen attracts move H atoms creating stars and planets Gas dust forms granis that come together o In pumice feldspar Measured using mass spectrometer 8 Carbon 14 dating system Younger Time Dating Method o Depends on ecosystem half life 6 000 years Lecture 2 9 Galaxies Collection of solar systems Barred spiral galaxy consists of stars 10 Solar systems Consists of stars planets 11 Big Bang Universe was inside bubble got too hot exploded 12 Planetesimals Small chunks remains from colliding of grains 13 Hydrogen nebulae Huge collapse of Gas H2 create stars 14 Stellar ignition Star formation from too much H2 thermonuclear fusion o Gives energy heat light helium 15 Jack Hills Range of hills in Midwest Western Australia o Known for Zircons oldest rocks granite o Indicate existence of land masses 16 Impact of a Mars sized object Can produce a moon 17 Stromatolites Fossils of ancient blue green algae cyanobacteria o Earliest forms of life shown Photosynthesis Archean 18 Photosynthesis Low levels of oxygen 2 Volcanic rocks erupted when Pangaea split apart molten rock erupted Earth s surface 19 Hematite Banded Iron Formation BIFs resulted from oxygen in air o Type of mineral out of ocean water Proterozoic 20 Cambrian explosion of life Paleozoic in Phanerozoic Evolution of an abundance of life o Bilateral symmetry complex life 21 Pangaea Supercontinent during Paleozoic Mesozoic era o Broke up into 7 continents Atlantic Ocean 22 Newark Basin Supergroup Red rocks seen on RU campus o Pangaea indication Basalts Mesozoic 23 Radiation of mammals Cenozoic mammals become dominant 24 Origins of Homo sapiens Humans evolve 150 000 years ago Africa Ethiopia spread North Lecture 3 25 Core mantle crust Crust Mantle Core 26 Mantle convection Lower and upper mantle Heat density viscosity Hot things rise cool things sink 27 Different types of plate boundaries Transform not important slide past one another Divergent plates move away apart Convergent plates come together 3 28 Reasons why there are of different types of plate boundaries Topograph location 29 Characteristics of the different types of plate boundaries Divergent plate boundaries spreading mid ocean ridges o Ridge push magma fills gap cools Ex Mid Atlantic Ridge o Continental Continental Ex East African Rift System Look at class notes 30 Characteristics of oceanic and continental plates Oceanic Plate Oceanic crust Basalt rock Olivine minerals More dense sinks down Iron Magnesium Continental Plate Continental crust Granite rock Feldspar Quartz minerals Lack Iron Magnesium Less dense floats at top Lecture 4 31 Weathering Through natural processes rocks break from granite feldspar quartz brittle soft o Physical weathering describes process of mechanical breakdown o Chemical weathering drastic color change carbonic acid 32 What are the different types of sedimentary rocks Clastic rocks o Grain size fine medium coarse Chemical organic rocks o Evaporates due to evaporation of H2O w dissolved ions Ex gypsum halite rich rocks o Precipitates formed by chemical leaching organisms Ex limestone Ex coal o Organic decomposition of organic remains under temperature pressure 33 How do the different types of sedimentary rocks form Clastic accumulations of clasts little pieces of broken up rock which have piled up and been lithified by compaction and cementation Chemical form when standing water evaporates which leave dissolved minerals common in arid lands thick deposits of salt and gypsum form due to repeated flooding and evaporation over long periods of time Organic accumulation of sedimentary debris caused by organic processes 34 What are the different types of sandstones Clastic rock made of sand sized particles Quartz dominant mineral 4 Ex arenite arkose lithic sandstone wacke 35 Sedimentary basin Sags or holes in uppermost part of Earth s crust fill up with mineral Lecture 5 36 Evolution 37 Species How things change over time Group of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes 38 Homologous trait Show similarities in structure but different function 39 Analogous trait Similar function different structure 40 Binominal nomenclature Genus species name to classify 41 Taxonomy versus Phylogeny Taxonomy organizing tax through traits Phylogeny organizing taxa through ancestors descendants time 42 Human taxonomy Kingdom Animal Phylum Chordate Class Mammal Order Primate Family Hominid Genus Homo Species Homo sapiens 44 Biostratigraphy 45 Fossil assemblage 43 Animal chordate mammal primate hominid Homo Homo sapiens Focuses on correlating assigning relative ages of rock strata by using fossil assemblages A group of fossil species found in a specific sequence of sedimentary rock 46 Principle of fossil succession States different species of fossils appear in a definite order lower layers oldest species newer on top 5 Extinction of a large of species in a short period of geological time due to a catastrophic event Process where organisms diverge rapidly into multitude of new forms esp when change in the environment makes new