NOTE: You will need to bring one Scantron Form 882-E and a number 2 pencil for the test.
Be prepared to identify the following minerals using the mineral identification chart: galena, olivine, plagioclase feldspar, kaolinite, gypsum, graphite, hematite, muscovite, halite, and talc using a mineral identification chart. Note: You will randomly get two of the ten to identify on the test.
Know the definition of what a mineral is. Be able to find the unique, distinguishing characteristic of a mineral from the mineral identification chart.
Understand mineral properties: luster, hardness, color, cleavage, and streak.
Know what the Mohs hardness scale is and what the hardest and softest minerals on it are.
Be able to determine the charge of an atom given the positive and negative charges (protons and electrons).
Know the three rock types: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary and know how they are formed and the properties of each.
Be prepared to identify the following igneous rocks using the igneous rock identification chart: obsidian, basalt, diorite, granite, and pumice. Note: You will randomly get one of the five to identify on the test.
Know the difference between volcanic and plutonic rocks, what that means in terms of cooling times, and how you distinguish them.
Know what lava and magma are and the difference between the two.
Know the different terms for grain size and distribution in igneous rocks and what they mean: porphyritic, phaneritic, aphanitic, vesicular, and fragmental.
Be prepared to identify the following sedimentary rocks using the sedimentary rock identification chart: sandstone, chert, conglomerate, shale, and chalk. Note: You will randomly get one of the five to identify on the test.
Know what a sedimentary rock is and understand what the difference is between a detrital, organic, and chemical sedimentary rock.
Know what compaction, cementation, and lithification are in terms of sedimentary rocks. Know the sedimentary bedding features and environments we learned in class.
Be prepared to identify the following metamorphic rocks using the metamorphic rock identification chart: gneiss, anthracite, quartzite, schist, and slate. Note: You will randomly get one of the five to identify on the test.
Know the difference between regional and contact metamorphism and where you would expect to find each.
Know what foliation is.
Understand what a map scale is and what is unique about 1:24,000 and 1:62,500 map scales.
Understand what contour lines are on a topographic map and how they work.
Understand longitude and latitude, with what point on Earth they are referenced, and how they are used.
Understand the three types of plate boundaries and whether crust is created, destroyed, or neither created nor destroyed at each.
Know what convergent, divergent, and transform plate boundaries are and which are subduction or spreading zones.
Know whether the San Andreas Fault, the Himalaya Mountains, or Iceland represent convergent, divergent, or transform plate boundaries.
Understand how convection cells relate to plate tectonics.
Know what the types of evidence used by Alfred Wegener were to prove the theory of continental drift.
Understand about magnetic reversals and how it relates to plate tectonics.
