Spring

2015GEOL 105 Midterm 1 Study Guide

Lecture 1: Intro Lecture & Video

Hypothesis vs. Theory

Evidence
Assumption
Preserved
Skeleton
Bone
Fossilized
Rock
Era
Mesozoic
Extinction
Triassic Period life forms in video: cynodont, placerias,
postosuchus, coelophysis, peteinosaurus
Reptiles
Dinosaur
Pterosaurs
Mammal-like reptiles
How dinosaurs differ from other reptiles
Supercontinent
Pangaea

Lecture 2: Paleontology & Fossilization

Paleontology
Historical science
Study of ancient life
Vertebrate paleontology
Paleoclimatology
Invertebrate paleontology
Paleoecology
Biostratigraphy
Radiometric dating
Geologic Time Scale
Deep Tim
Eon
Precambrian
Phanerozoic
Era
Paleozoic (~550-250Ma)
Mesozoic (~250-65Ma)
Cenozoic (65-0Ma)
Period
Cambrian
Permian
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Tertiary
Epoch
Fossilization
Body fossil
Trace fossil
Lagerstatten fossil
Geochemical evidence
Metamorphism
Erosion

Fossil record
Bias in fossil record
Hard parts
Environment
Timing
Human preference
13 Dinosaurs (learn names not images):
Apatosaurus
Brachiosaurus
Oviraptor
Velociraptor
Tyrannosaurus
Allosaurus
Iguanodon
Parasaurolophus
Maiasauria
Stegosaurus
Ankylosaurus
Triceratops
Pachycephalosaurus
Permineralization
Replacement
Compression
Resin

Lecture 3: Geology & Fossils

Rock types
Igneous (extrusive & intrusive)
Sedimentary
Layered sediments
Metamorphic
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphic principles
Original horizontality: layers deposited horizontally
Superposition: older layers below younger layers
Lateral Continuity: widespread correlation of layers
Mesozoic deposition locations in US Southwest:
Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, (not Grand
Canyon)
Faunal Succession: fossil record & evolution of life
Index fossil
Relative age of rocks
Absolute age of rocks
Radiometric dating & rock type
Sediment type
Clastic - clast
Chemical
Biogenic
Weathering
Erosion
Deposition - accumulation
Biochemical
Lithification
Fossilization
Five Fabulous "Fossilizers": Shale, Sandstone,
Volcanic ash, Siltstone, Limestone

Spring 2015GEOL 105 Midterm 1 Study Guide

13 Dinosaurs (be able to organize into groups,

names will be provided on the exam):
Which period did each dino live in?
Which dinos lived together? Jurassic Period, Early
Cretaceous Period, Late Cretaceous Period
Which dinos lived until the end of the Mesozoic? Went
extinct 65Ma
Which dinos are carnivorous? 4 highlighted in red
Triassic, Jurassic, & Cretaceous rocks: North America

Lecture 4: Plate Tectonics & Environment

Plate tectonics
Boundaries
Divergent
Convergent
Transform
Oceanic crust
Continental crust
New oceanic crust formation
Atlantic Ocean formation
Pangaea break-up
Subduction & volcanism
San Andreas fault formation age
Plate tectonic supporting evidence
Fossil location
Mountain belt dissection
Hot-spot volcanism
Glacial movements
GPS
Pangaea
Laurasia
Gondwanaland
Plate tectonics during Permian
Plate tectonics during Triassic
Plate tectonics during Jurassic
Plate tectonics during Cretaceous
Sea level changes during Triassic
Sea level changes during Jurassic
Sea level changes during Cretaceous
Pangaea formation (which period?)
Pangaea break-up (which period?)
Atlantic Ocean opening (which period?)
North American inland sea (which period?)
Large deserts (which period?)
Fossil collections of late Cretaceous dinos = more
numerous
Tectonic emergence=uplift=erosion
Tectonic subsidence=subsidence=deposition
Causes of sea level change
Amount of ice on Earth
Amount of divergence on Earth (related to elevation of
the ocean floor & seal level)
Sedimentary environments
Where to look for dinosaurs in past depositional
environments that are now eroding

Sedimentary structures provide environmental info

Lecture 5: Climate & Evolution

Climate change through time

Climate change and Life
Mesozoic climate = modern tropics
Causes of climate change
Greenhouse effect
Greenhouse gases
Carbon cycle
High atmospheric CO2 & limestone forms 180-90Ma
Results of climate change
Ocean temperature
Atmospheric temperature
Atmospheric composition
Sea level
Amount of ice
Weather patterns
Weather intensity
Plate tectonics
Change in continental landmass locations
Mesozoic climate change: Expanding deserts &/or
forests, carbon dioxide levels, oxygen levels, global
temperatures, sea level changes, extinction rates,
cosmic radiation levels
Triassic climate change: sea level, global temperatures,
desert, arid
Jurassic climate change: carbon dioxide levels, global
temperatures, and glacial ice formation, forests, coal
deposits
Cretaceous climate change: sea level, oxygen levels,
global temperatures, forests
Period of dinosaur gigantism
Period of first appearance of birds

Lecture 6: How the Earth Was Made Video

Source of Earths water

Origin of first life on earth (hypothesis)
Cyanobacteria/Stromatolites & photosynthesis
Cyanobacteria/Stromatolites & oxygenation
Tectonic plates move an average of 1 inch/yr.
Volcanism
Greenhouse effect
Burgess shale (Paleozoic fossils)
Ozone layer & terrestrial life
Dinosaurs & fraction of history of life
Avg. size of dinosaurs
Dinosaur word definition
Dinosaurs evolved to be enormous
Oxygen-rich environment triggered by ___
Shale/clay 65Ma tombstone layer
Dinosaurs lived on all continents
65Ma asteroid size
65Ma volcanic flood basalts (India)