HISTORICAL GEOLOGY 1404
POSSIBLE TEST QUESTIONS
Revised 7/14
Unit 1 - Historical Development of Geologic Principles
Some Geology Definition
1. How is Historical Geology different from Physical Geology?
Prehistoric Mineral Mining and Geology
2. The earliest simple use of stone by man creatures began more than _____ years ago.
Early Greek Geologic Concept
3. How did Greek Herodotus (500 BC) describe fossils?
4. How did Aristotle (350 BC) derive explanations to the natural world? (Did he believe in scientific
experiments?)
Other Historic Geologic Concepts – Middle Age Geologic Concepts –Leonardo de Vinci
5. How did Pliny the Elder describe what we now know as fossil shark teeth?
6. What were some misinterpretations of fossils used by Middle Age Europe?
7. What interpretations did Leonardo de Vinci make of fossils, in regards to a world-wide flood and
why was that a problem for him?
8. What do we call the thousand year period in which almost no scientific advancements were made?
Finding Fossils and Fake Fossils
9. Is it illegal to sell fake fossils?
Father of Mining and Geology
10. Who is considered to be the Father of Mining and Mineralogy?
Entering a Period of Increasing Geologic Knowledge
11. Geologic knowledge increased dramatically from 1650 to the 1800s because of _____.
Some Stratigraphic Terms - Stratified Rock
12. Distinguish between stratum, strata and bedding planes, especially with a drawing.
13. Give a simple definition of stratigraphy.
Stratified Rock Recording Environmental Changes
14. Strata can be used to interpret - what?
15. There are two types of rocks that may contain fossils – which are they?
16. Why are stratigraphic sediments important to the field of geology?
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Rock Symbols
17. Learn the “drawing symbols” for limestone, sandstone, shale, granite, metamorphic rocks,
unconformity and baked zone (separate handout)
Some Stratigraphic Principles (Steno)
18. What honor is given to Nicolas Steno (1636-1686)?
(Be able to define the following geologic principles, especially by drawing picture examples)
19. Principle of Superposition
20. Principle of Original Horizontality
21. Principle of Lateral Continuity
Other Contributions of the 1700s
22. Abraham Werner taught “Neptunism” that advocates that all rocks came from ______ which
satisfied all Biblical accounts
23. How long have we been using the words geology and geologist?
Uniformitarianism
24. What honor is given to James Hutton (1790s)
25. Define uniformitarianism which is a critical geological concept.
26. Do the rates and intensity of geologic changes have to be constant over time?
27. Why was the Doctrine of Catastrophism so important to many people?
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Unconformities (Hutton and Steno) These (29-35) are always the most missed questions on exams
28. Define a stratigraphic hiatus (How is it different than an unconformity?) Remember that a hiatus is
“missing strata and missing time” and an unconformity is a surface that represents ___________or
__________ or both
(Be able to define the following geologic principles, especially by interpreting picture
examples)
29. Disconformity (identify and define)
30. Nonconformity (identify and define)
31. Angular Unconformity (identify and define)
More Geologic Principles (Hutton)
(Be able to define the following geologic principles, especially by interpreting picture
examples)
32. Principle of Deformation (identify and define)
33. Principle of Cross Cutting Relationships (identify and define)
34. Principle of Inclusions (identify and define)
35. Principle of Baked Contacts (identify and define)
Fossils and Rocks - Fossils and Relative Age Dating (Smith)
36. Who is considered the Father of Vertebrate Paleontology?
37. What was the contribution by William Smith to geology (fossils and maps)?
38. Explain the relationship between biota and the Principle of Fossil Succession (i. e. -how do
geologists use this principle?)
39. What type of a time indicator are fossils?
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First Geology Textbook
40. What was Charles Lyell’s contribution to geology?
Historical Geology Weekly Quiz # 1
Page 2 Study Guide
A) The mining of minerals began __________ (Please write number only)
Page 2 Study Guide
B) The Romans worked ________ mines for minerals and metals (Please write number only)
Page 6 Study Guide
C) Noah’s flood easily fit into the Doctrine of ________ (Please write number only)
Page 5 Study Guide
D) According to Lehman, ______ can be regarded as chapters in the history of the Earth. (Please write
number only)
Page 5 Study Guide
E) Werner insisted that basalt was deposited ________ (Please write number only)
Historical Geology Weekly Quiz # 2
All answers found using the text book
Page 419 Figure 17.2
A) How many fundamental principles of relative age dating are easily visible at the Bryce Canyon
National Park in Utah? ________. (write word-bank number)
Page 442 Geo-Focus- Figure 1
B) According to this picture, 280 million years ago, Denver was once _____ . (write word-bank number)
Page 443 Geo-Focus- Figure 2
C) According to this picture, 70 million years ago, Denver was once _____ . (write word-bank number)
Page 440 Figure 17.29
D) How can geologists determine the precise, radiometric ages of stalagmite layers? ________. (write
word-bank number)
Page 444 Geologic time and Climate Change
E) Between 75,000 years ago and 25,000 years ago in Missouri, what major event took place
according to stalagmite studies? ________ (write word-bank number)
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