Geology 1 – Physical Geology Lessons, Activities, and Labs David Bazard and Emily Wright College of the Redwoods . Contents Lesson One: Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 Worksheet 1.1 ............................................................................................................. 1 Lesson Two: Plate Tectonics ........................................................................................... 3 Worksheet 2.1: Earth Layers ........................................................................................ 3 Worksheet 2.2 Plate Boundaries .................................................................................. 4 Worksheet 2.3: Plate Boundary Table .......................................................................... 7 Lab 2.4: Using GPS to Study Plate Tectonics .............................................................. 8 Lab 2.5: Using magnetic properties of rocks to investigate plate motions ................... 15 Lesson Three: Minerals ................................................................................................. 21 Background Reading Part I: Basic Chemistry of Rock Forming Minerals .................. 21 Worksheet 3.1: Basic Chemistry of Minerals ............................................................. 24 Background Reading Part II: Mineral Identification ................................................... 25 Lab 3.2: Known Minerals ......................................................................................... 27 Lab 3.3: Unknowns ................................................................................................... 28 Lab 3.4: Special Minerals .......................................................................................... 29 Lesson Four: Igneous Rocks .......................................................................................... 31 Background Reading: Igneous Rocks ........................................................................ 31 Worksheet 4.1: Igneous Rocks ................................................................................... 35 Lab 4.2: Igneous Knowns .......................................................................................... 38 Lab 4.3: Igneous Rock Unknowns ............................................................................. 39 Igneous Rock Lab Quiz – Review Sheet .................................................................... 41 Lesson Five: Volcanoes ................................................................................................. 43 Background Reading: Volcanoes ............................................................................... 43 Worksheet 5.1: Volcanoes ......................................................................................... 46 Lesson Six: Weathering and Sedimentary Rocks ........................................................... 49 Background Reading: Sedimentary Processes ............................................................ 49 Worksheet 6.1: Sediment ........................................................................................... 54 Lab 6.2: Analyzing Sediment..................................................................................... 57 Lab 6.3: Sedimentary Knowns ................................................................................... 58 Lab 6.4: Sedimentary Unknowns: .............................................................................. 59 Lesson Seven: Metamorphic Rocks ............................................................................... 61 Background Reading: Metamorphic Rocks ................................................................ 61 i Worksheet 7.1: Metamorphic Rocks .......................................................................... 66 Lab 7.2: Metamorphic Minerals and Known Metamorphic Rocks .............................. 69 Lab 7.3: Unknown Metamorphic Rocks: .................................................................... 70 Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rock Lab Quiz - Study Guide ................................. 72 Lesson Eight: Structural Geology .................................................................................. 75 Background Reading: Structural Geology .................................................................. 75 Worksheet 8.1: Moonstone Beach Field Trip Preparation .......................................... 79 Worksheet 8.2: Geologic Structures ........................................................................... 83 Lab 8.3: Geologic Maps ............................................................................................ 85 Lesson Nine: Geologic Time ......................................................................................... 91 Background Reading: Geologic Time ........................................................................ 91 Worksheet 9.1: Relative Time.................................................................................... 94 Worksheet 9.2 -Absolute Time .................................................................................. 95 Worksheet 9.3: Geologic Time Scale ......................................................................... 97 Lab 9.4: Geologic Map of California ......................................................................... 98 Lesson Ten: Landscape Evolution ................................................................................. 99 Background Reading: Topographic Maps .................................................................. 99 Background Reading: Landforms ............................................................................ 100 Worksheet 10.1 - Mass Movement........................................................................... 103 Worksheet 10.2 - Rivers .......................................................................................... 104 Worksheet 10.3 Landscapes ..................................................................................... 105 Lab 10.4: Topographic Maps. .................................................................................. 106 Lab 10.5 Maps of Landscapes .................................................................................. 107 ii Name:_______________________________________________________ Date:______ GEOL1 Physical Geology Laboratory Manual College of the Redwoods Lesson One: Introduction Worksheet 1.1 Read the discussion below. This discussion is similar to any paragraph that you might select at random from an introductory geology textbook. When you are reading about science, you might find yourself focusing on facts that have been discovered. It is important to learn these facts to understand what scientists know about how the world works, but to really appreciate science you must also appreciate that science is the process by which people discover these facts. The questions below will help guide you thinking about the science that you read in terms of the scientific process. Discussion: (1)Geologists tell us that the explosiveness of a volcanic eruption is related to the amount of a material called silica that is in the magma (liquid rock) of a volcano. Silica is made of the elements silicon and oxygen and is the same material found in a mineral called quartz. (2)This conclusion is based on looking at the most explosive volcanic eruptions and finding that they produce quartz rich volcanic rocks. (3)Also, scientists have found, through lab and field studies, that magma with a higher silica content is “thicker “ (more viscous) than magma with a lower silica content. This is similar to how honey is “thicker” than water. (4)Geologists have used this information to come up with the idea that higher silica content makes lava thicker, and thicker magma can hold gas under higher pressure. (5)When high pressure gas comes to the surface it erupts more explosively than gas trapped in a “thinner” (less viscous) liquid. The same process occurs when oatmeal boils. When the bubbles in oatmeal “pop”, they explode and create a bigger mess than a pan of boiling water. 1. Assign each numbered sentence to one of the following categories Observations/Data: Things that have been directly observed or measured by the researchers. They must be repeatable, meaning the observation can be made either multiple times or was observed by multiple groups of people. Interpretations: The simplest explanation that fits all of the data and observations. An interpretation is always subject to change based on new observations. 2. State the overall hypothesis of the discussion above. 1 3. Write a brief description of a lab experiment that would test this hypothesis. 4. Write a brief description of a field study that would test this hypothesis. 5. Choose one of your studies above and make a testable prediction about the outcome of the study. Example of a Testable Prediction: Hypothesis: The hill between the College of the Redwoods parking lot and the central part of the main campus was formed by the movement of a fault. Prediction: A trench dug across the uphill edge of the College of the Redwoods main parking lot would reveal soil and sediment layers that have been offset vertically. 2 Name:_______________________________________________________ Date:______ GEOL1 Physical Geology Laboratory Manual College of the Redwoods Lesson Two: Plate Tectonics Worksheet 2.1: Earth Layers 1. On the left part of the diagram below, label the following layers: inner core, outer