Study Guide – GEO 1001 Lab Mid-Term
The mid-term lab quiz will cover topics from Labs 1 through 6, as
well as the three-week seismic exercise. As a group, sections have the option
of spending the first part of the class as an open review session before
taking the quiz. Be sure that you know ahead of time whether your class will
choose to take this option.
Topics below may be covered on the mid-term quiz.
Lab 1 - Viewing the Earth from a Geological Perspective:
Parts of Lab 1 merge with topics listed below for Labs 2, 3, 4, and the seismic exercise.
- Given appropriate background information, be able to make a logical
geological interpretation of mapped data (similar to the questions on river
processes in the Lake Pepin/Chippewa delta or St. Croix River areas).
Lab 2 - A Restless Planet - Plate Tectonics & the Earth’s Surface:
- Given an image of part of the Earth’s surface, be able to identify
its main geological features and explain the origin of those features in
terms of plate tectonic processes.
- Be able to construct and label cross-section and map sketches of a
given area, illustrating the plate tectonic processes responsible for these
surface features.
Lab 3 - Earthquakes:
- Know how seismograms can be used to identify the location of an earthquake and the relative motion along a fault plane.
- Be able to identify what type of plate boundary is present from an
image of the spatial distribution of earthquakes at that boundary.
- Given an image of part of the Earth’s surface similar to those in Lab
2, be able to predict the probably distribution of earthquakes beneath that
area.
Lab 4 – Minerals & Mineral Identification:
- Be able to identify samples of the most common rock forming minerals.
Lab 5 - The Rock Cycle and Igneous Rocks:
- Be able to identify samples of the most common igneous rocks.
- Given samples of common igneous rocks, be able to make basic interpretations
of their probable origins and plate tectonic settings.
Lab 6 - Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rocks:
- Be able to identify samples of common sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.
- Given samples of common sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, be able to make basic interpretations of their probable origins.
Seismic Exercise - Recording the Earth’s Seismic Activity:
- The major relationships covered by the seismic essay are fair game for the quiz.