Exam 2 Study Guide

The concluding course exam will consist of 50 questions, some centered on diagrams or other visuals.  All questions will be true-false or multiple choice.  Calculators will not be needed.

The exam will cover all material that I lectured about after your first exam, beginning with "Volcanism"

• Earthquakes
• definition of earthquake
• distribution and relationship to plate tectonics
• definition of epicenter (earthquake location coordinates)
• Seismic waves
• P-, S-, and surface waves
• Determining earthquake magnitude and location
• The earthquake/seismic cycle
• What is the global earthquake deficit?

• Volcanos
• definition of viscosity and inter-relationship between viscosity and the shape and eruptive behavior of a volcano
• types of volcanos
• timescales of volcano construction and destruction

• Erosional processes
• mass wasting - definition and examples
• distinction between mass wasting, erosion, weathering
• definitions:
• playa
• talus
• pediment
• alluvial fan
• bajada
• inselberg
• weathering - definition and types
• glaciers - defiinition and types
• water - mechanisms for erosion, difference between bed, suspended, and dissolved loads

• Geologic history of western US in past 100 Ma
• Ages of formation of the major geologic provinces mentioned in the lectures
• Major plate tectonic events in the western U.S. since ~100 Myr
• Definition of "orogeny"
• Was the Laramide orogeny the only major mountain building event in the western United States since roughly 100 Myr ago?
• What is the volcanic "gap" referred to in the lecture notes and graphics and what is its significance?
• Relationship between plate tectonics and volcanism in the western U.S.
• Volcanic history and major geologic provinces
• You are NOT responsible for memorizing details about the paleogeographic snapshots of the western U.S. (Class 11)

• Laramide orogeny and the Yellowstone hotspot and Snake River plain
• When did the Laramide orogeny occur?
• What is postulated to have caused the Laramide orogeny?
• Know names of major Laramide-age mountain ranges described in the Web lecture.
• In which states are most of the major Laramide mountain ranges located?
• Where was volcanic activity concentrated during the Laramide orogeny?
• What is the relationship between the Yellowstone hotspot and Snake River plain?
• How and why do the ages of volcanic rocks change along the Yellowstone/Snake River plain?
• How and why do land elevations change along the Yellowstone/Snake River plain?
• Why is there so much geothermal activity in Yellowstone National Park?

• U.S. Basin-and-Range / San Andreas fault zone
• When did extension across the Basin and Range begin?
• Are faulting along the San Andreas fault and extension in the Basin-and-Range related in some way?
• What kind of faulting predominates in the Basin-and-Range? Why?
• Are ranges in the Basin-and-Range the foot-wall rocks or hanging-wall rocks?
• The Basin-and-Range is found primarily in which states?
• Are all segments of the San Andreas fault prone to large earthquakes?
• The San Andreas fault is located in which state(s)?
• The San Andreas fault separates which tectonic plates and is what kind of fault?
• How old is the San Andreas fault?
• Has the length of the San Andreas fault changed since its birth?