Exam 2 Preparation

I won't promise that everything here will on the exam, or that there will not be questions that aren't explicitly included below. But if you've got this part down, you'll be in very good shape for the exam. Good luck!

• The Rock Cycle
  • Definition and difference between
    • minerals and
    • igneous,
    • sedimentary, and
    • metamorphic rocks
  • Identify "obvious" examples of each type

• Plate Tectonics and the structure of the Earth
  • Principle of Uniformity
  • Structure and age of the Earth
  • Evidence to determine structure and age of the Earth
  • Evidence to support the theory of plate tectonics
  • Various types of plate boundaries, and the consequences of plate collisions
  • Earthquakes and volcanos - how do they originate?
  • The Richter scale
  • The originator of the theory
  • Relative ages of rocks on the Earth's surface
  • Examples of active volcanos and areas of vigorous tectonic activity (you might re-visit your class presentations, which are on-line)

• Museum Visit - local geology
  • See your handout -- better yet, visit the museum center and review!;)

• Fossils
  • Types of fossils (e.g. trace, amber, etc.)
  • Rough idea of the fossil record (e.g. when humans arose, when dinosaurs went extinct): Table 22.2, p. 526 should be useful
  • Examples of mass extinction, and possible causes
  • Index fossils, and value of fossils in general
  • Dating rocks and fossils - how's it done?
  • Know the local fossils, and when they appeared (i.e. Ordovician)
  • Identify "obvious" examples of local types

• Evolution
  • Original formulators of theory of natural selection, and their rationales
  • Postulates of Natural Selection
  • Evidence for evolution
  • Processes that drive Natural Selection
  • Process of speciation (creation of new species)
  • Misconceptions about evolution
  • Hardy-Weinburg