PSci 183 Activity Review
PSCI 183: Earth Science For Elementary Teachers

DISCLAIMER: This is a study guide ONLY! Some of these concepts may appear on the test, some may not, and some concepts may be on the test that are not included here. Please read the appropriate sections in your text/lab and review your notes.

Plate Tectonics

• Be able to name and identify the three types of plate boundaries and be able to give an example of each (a geographic place, for example, not a definition - ie, divergent boundary = Mid Atlantic Ridge)
• Know which plate CSULA is on (hint: it's NOT the North American Plate!)
• Be able to name and identify the three types of convergent plate boundaries.
• Know what a hot spot is and how they form
• Be able to identify features on the basemap (ie, the Mid Atlantic Ridge)
  

Mineral Identification

• Know the properties (hardness, # of cleavage planes, luster and reaction to HCl) of the following minerals:
  • Quartz
  • Potassium Feldspar
  • Plagioclase Felspar
  • Calcite
  • Muscovite
  • Biotite
  • Augite
  • Hornblende

Volcanoes and Igneous Rocks

• Know the properties (intrusive/extrusive, texture, and VISIBLE minerals) of the following igneous rocks:
  • Basalt
  • Diorite
  • Rhyolite
  • Granite
  • Obsidian
• Be able to identify the parts of the volcano
• Understand how these rocks form

Sedimentary Environments and Rocks

• Know the properties (clastic/chemical/bio, texture/grain size, and original sediment) of the following igneous rocks:
  • Sandstone
  • Limestone
  • Breccia
  • Conglomerate
  • Halite
• Understand how these rocks form

Metamorphic Environments and Rocks

• Know the properties (folliated/nonfolliated, texture, and VISIBLE minerals) of the following metamorphic rocks:
  • Marble
  • Dolomarble
  • Slate
  • Phyllite
  • Schist
• Understand how these rocks form
• Know the agents of metamorphism and how they work
• Know the types and characteristics of the various metamorphic environments

Geologic Time

• Understand the difference between relative dating and radiometric dating
• Know the different principles and unconformities
• Understand how fossils form, which type of sediments are best for forming fossils, and which parts of the organism are best suited to becoming a fossil.
• Understand how we calculated the half-life of Zorkium in class

Earthquakes

• Know how to determine the epicenter of an earthquake
• Understand the relationship between the length of the P-S interval and the size of the S waves and the distance from the epicenter.
• Understand the difference between intensity and magnitude scales.
• Understand what an isoseismic map is and how it can be used.

Marine Sediments

• Know the four ways marine sediments can be classified
• Each student will be given a sand sample, a small dish, and a magnifying glass and will be expected to be able to determine the following for their sample:
  • How would this sample be classified by size/source/deposition/composition?
  • How would you describe the angularity of the majority of the grains in this sample?
  • How well sorted do you think this sample is?
  • What minerals (if any) comprise this sample?
  • Are there any rock fragments visible?
  • Are there any biological components visible?