Exam 2 Study Guide

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

It will cover all post-exam 1 material, 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

• Gravity, mountain roots, and flexure
• Archimede's principle and Pascal's law
• Newton's second law of motion
• Depth of mountain root given height of range
• implications of the existence of mountain roots for lifetimes of mountain ranges
• Erosional processes
• mass wasting - definition and examples
• distinction between mass wasting, erosion, weathering
• definitions:
• 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
• names and locations of major Laramide mountain ranges
• Ages of formation of the major geologic provinces mentioned in the lectures
• major plate tectonic events in the western U.S. since ~100 Myr
• relationship between plate tectonics and volcanism in the western U.S.
• Relationship between the Yellowstone hotspot and Snake River plain
• Volcanic ages and elevations along Yellowstone/Snake River plain
• Volcanic history and major geologic provinces
• You are NOT responsible for memorizing anything about the paleogeographic snapshots of the western U.S. (Class 11)