OCN100--Study Guide...Introduction, Chapters 1 -3
Chapter 1: Introduction to Planet "Earth"
. About ____% of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans. The northern / southern hemisphere has the largest area of ocean. . About ____% of the water (including ice) on Earth is in the ocean. . List the 4 principal oceans in order of size. Which is the deepest? . Where is the Southern Ocean? What defines its extent? . The average depth of the ocean is approx. ______meters; the average height of land is ______meters; this makes the average ocean depth ______times deeper than land is high. . The deepest spot in the ocean is the ______; its depth is ______meters. . Including above and below sea level portions, the tallest mountain on earth is ______. . Be able to briefly describe the major achievements or significance of the following persons/nations/ ships/programs/research tools: (Note: You will find many of these described in Chapters 1-3; use the index to find any others)
Ferdinand Magellan Chikyu bathysphere John Harrison Kon Tiki submersible James Cook GLOMAR Challenger remote operating vehicle (ROV) Fridtjof Nansen Alvin SONAR William Beebe Trieste Multibeam sonar Robert Ballard HMS Challenger sextant Integrated Ocean Drilling JOIDES Resolution chronometer Program (IODP) NOAA Fram seismic reflection profiling Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) False color image
. Describe the 4 steps in the "scientific method." How is a hypothesis different from a theory? . Draw a diagram to illustrate how latitude and longitude are used to designate locations on Earth. . Describe the characteristics and physical properties of each of the earth's layers: crust (continental and oceanic), mantle, inner and outer core. Describe the primary method used for studying Earth’s structure. . Draw a sketch to show the relationship between the crust, mantle, lithosphere, and asthenosphere (Fig. 1.15). . Explain the phenomenon of isostatic adjustment (Fig. 1.16); provide examples of how it applies to the study of the Earth.
Chapter 2: Plate Tectonics and the Ocean Floor
. Discuss how the following were important in the development of Plate Tectonic theory: o Studies of Earth’s magnetic field and paleomagnetism (Fig. 2.11) o Pattern of the age of the ocean floor (Fig. 2.12) o Distribution of earthquakes (Fig. 2.13) . Describe the processes involved at the three types of plate boundaries (divergent, convergent, and transform). See Table 2.1 as an outline. Be able to: o Describe the characteristic features/landforms that result. o Provide examples of geographic locations where these plate boundaries and features occur (example: transform boundary--San Andreas Fault--California). o Sketch each type of plate boundary. See Fig. 2.17, 2.20, 2.22 and 2.23. o Describe the relationship between earthquakes (depth and location) and each type of plate boundary. . The average rate of plate motion is ______; the fastest rate of motion is ______and is located ______. . Explain how each of the following has contributed support to plate tectonic theory: o Distribution of hot spots and formation of island/seamount chains (Fig. 2.25) o Differing shape between seamounts and tablemounts (Fig. 2.26) o Types of coral reefs (Fig. 2.27) . Where are YOU in relation to a plate boundary? Which plate? Which type of boundary? Where are you headed? Will California ever fall into the ocean? How does this boundary change to the north/south?
Questions and Exercises: # 3, 5, 7-8, 11-14
Chapter 3: Marine Provinces
. Describe techniques for determining ocean bathymetry. . Draw a diagram to show the relationship between shape of the sea surface and the shape of the sea floor (Box 3.1, Fig. 3A). . Describe how the information from seismic profiling differs from information from side-scan sonar. . Describe the features and processes that occur along continental margins. . Compare and contrast the characteristics, tectonic setting, and geographic location of passive and active continental margins. Be able to draw a cross-section across each type (Fig. 3.7). . Compare the bathymetry of California's Continental Borderland to that of a typical continental margin (Fig. 3.8). Explain the origin of its unique shape. . Describe the processes that occur in submarine canyons (Fig. 3.10). . Describe the characteristics of a continental rise and abyssal plain. Explain which margin type and ocean would have the best developed rise and plain. . Draw a typical cross section of an abyssal plain as it might show up in a seismic section (Fig. 3.12). How does this illustrate the relationship between abyssal hills and abyssal plains? . Describe the relationship between ocean trenches and volcanic arcs. Use a map to identify the location of most ocean trenches (Fig 3.13). . Describe in detail the features and processes which occur along oceanic ridges (MOR’s). What might you see if you took a trip there in a submersible? Where could you see a part of the mid-ocean ridge above sea level? . Describe the difference between transform faults and fracture zones. Explain how transform faults and fractures zones are related to oceanic ridges and plate boundaries (Fig. 3.19, Table 3.1).
Questions and Exercises: #1-9, 12