Study the following information for your test on    .
The test will consist of a Matching Section, Fill in the blank, Labeling Diagrams, Short Answer, and 1 Short Stance Question

Geology/Geologists

• The meaning of geology comes from its root word and suffix.
• Geo – earth
• Ology – The study of
• A geologist is someone who studies the Earth.

The Earth’s Layers

• The Earth is made up of layers.  Scientists used indirect evidence to explore and learn about what is inside our Earth.  The Layers starting at the surface and going to the center are:
• The crust – 22 miles thick – made of rock
• The mantle – 1,800 miles thick – made of molten rock
• The outer core – made of molten rock
• The inner core – made of solid iron
• Scientists also use seismic waves to help them learn more about what is inside the Earth.  Two waves that are commonly used are:
• P (compressional) waves travel through solids and liquids.
• S (shear) waves travel only through solids.

• There are three types of rocks – igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic
• Igneous Rocks are formed when magma, molten rock from a volcano’s core, cools.
• Sedimentary Rocks are made of layers of sediment.  The sediment is tiny grains of sand, clay, or bits of other rocks that settle at the bottom of lakes, rivers, or oceans and slowly hardens over time.
• Metamorphic Rocks form from sedimentary, igneous or other metamorphic rocks that have changed over time by heat and/or pressure.
• Minerals are natural nonliving substances that are the building blocks of rocks.  There are 2,500 different known minerals.  They give rocks basic qualities such as color, hardness, texture, density, or luster.

• A fossil is the preserved remains of a once-living plant or animal.
• Fossils can be formed 4 ways:
• Imprints
• Molds and Casts
• Wood fossils
• Preserved in sap, ice, or tar
• We used a mold and cast to make our own fossils in class.

• Erosion is the process by which weathered rock and soil are moved from one place to another.
• Water, wind, waves, gravity, and glaciers can cause erosion.

• Tectonic plates are slabs of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle.
• Continental Drift is when tectonic plates move around.  Collisions between plates cause earthquakes, and the formation of mountains and volcano’s.
• There are three types of plate boundaries:
• Convergent plate boundaries move toward one another.
• Divergent plate boundaries move away from one another.
• Transform plate boundaries slide past each other.

• Soil Covering  Gravel is the best soil covering.  It absorbs water and protects the soil beneath it.  Straw is the worst soil covering.  It does not absorb much of the water and allows water to sink into the soil and erosion to occur.
• Plate Tectonics  Convergent plate boundaries cause Volcanoes to form and erupt when one plate slides underneath another plate.  Divergent plate boundaries cause a Mid-Ocean Ridge when plates spread apart and new land or water fills in the area that has spread.  Transform plate boundaries cause earthquakes to occur when one plate slides past the other causing a shaking sensation.  The Pacific Ring of Fire is where most volcanoes and earthquakes occur.