Geology 110: Earth and Space Science



Geology 110: Earth and Space Science

Chapter 1 (Introduction to Earth Science) Homework

Self-Reflection Survey (page 7)

#1: Explain how you interact with components of the earth system on a daily basis.

#2: Which of the following earth science phenomena have you experienced? Which would you most like to experience? Can you think of three more things to add to the list?

a. a volcanic eruptions

b. a glacier

c. a river in flood

d. a cave system

e. an underground mine

f. a canyon

g. an earthquake

h. an erosional coastline (rocky cliffs)

i. a depositional coastline (beaches)

j. a hot desert

k. a continental divide

l. rock layers with fossils

m. a big, assembled, dinosaur skeleton

n. a meteor shower and/or comet

o. the aurora borealis (the Northern Lights)

p. a solar and/or lunar eclipse

q. a meteorite crater

r. a mountain range over 10,000 feet in elevation

s. a tornado

t. the top of a cloud

#3: What three questions about Earth would you like to be able to answer by the end of this course?

Checkpoint 1.1 (page 7)

 

#4: Good questions often produce answers that lead to yet more questions. Review the statement and suggest some related questions that could clarify or expand the topic. Approximately half of the students who begin college science degrees change their major to a non-science field. Suggested questions:

Checkpoint 1.2 (page 8)

#5: Which of the following pieces of information were known prior to the Hutchinson gas explosion? (Circle all correct answers.)

a) The volume of gas in the Yaggy storage facility

b) The types of rocks present under the city

c) When the explosions would occur

d) The locations of leaking wells

Checkpoint 1.5, p. 10

#6: Which of the following statements is most accurate? (circle one)

a) Observations are only as good as the hypotheses on which they are based.

b) Hypotheses are only as good as the observations on which they are based.

Checkpoint 1.6, p. 11

#7: Many young children are told the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. What type of reasoning was Goldilocks using in choosing which porridge to eat?

a) Inductive reasoning

b) Deductive reasoning

Kathie studied the geology of several Hawaiian volcanoes and used her data to predict the potential dangers from the eruption of similar volcanoes on the Galapagos Islands. What type of reasoning did she apply?

a) Inductive reasoning

b) Deductive reasoning

Checkpoint 1.8, p. 12

#8: In June 1805, The Lewis and Clark expedition followed the Missouri River west, upstream toward the Rocky Mountains. The natives of the area had told the explorers that they would arrive at a series of falls and rapids (the Great Falls of the Missouri River) and soon after would reach the mountains. However, before Lewis and Clark found the falls, they came to an unexpected fork in the river and had to determine which branch of the river to follow. In applying their reasoning skills to determine the best route, the exploring party used the same basic principles scientists use to generate good scientific explanations. The passages that follow, taken from the journals of different members of Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery, show the thought processes involved. Corps members are identified by bold lettering, and their journal entries are in italics; their original spelling and grammar are preserved. Journal entries are taken from lewisandclark/ (click on this link or see your book; it is probably easier from your book). After reading these journal entries, answer the following questions:

Which of the four basic principles of science did Lewis and Clark follow? For each statement, choose a or b, and briefly explain your choices for each answer in one or two complete sentences.

1. Scientific explanations are tentative.

a) used b) not used

Explain:

2. Scientific explanations should be predictable.

a) used b) not used

Explain:

3. Scientific explanations are based on empirical observations or experiments.

a) used b) not used

Explain:

4. Scientific explanations offer well-defined natural causes to explain natural phenomena.

a) used b) not used

Explain:

Checkpoint 1.10, p. 15

#9: Luis and Walter Alvarez suggested the dinosaurs became extinct when an asteroid collided with the Earth. They noted that the rare element iridium was present in 65 million year old rock layers around the world. What is the text in italics an example of?

a) a hypothesis b) a prediction c) an observation d) a theory

Checkpoint 1.11, p. 15

#10: Examine the images below. Based on your observations, form a hypothesis as to how many of the images in the bottom row represent Mellinarks.

What was the thought process you went through to arrive at an answer? Try to separate out the “thinking steps” that you took, identifying observations, predictions, and hypotheses. Make sure to briefly describe the steps.

[pic]

Checkpoint 1.14, p. 19

#11: Is the evacuation of a city in advance of a hurricane an example of prevention or adjustment?

a) prevention b) adjustment

What other examples (describe one) of prevention or adjustment have been described in the chapter so far?

Introduction to Earth Science: Concept Map, p. 27

#12: To evaluate your understanding of the interactions between the components of the Earth system discussed in this chapter, complete the following concept map exercise.

Examine the following list of interactions between pairs of components in the Earth system. Match each interaction with one of the lettered links in the concept map provided. (see page 27 for concept map).

|Interaction |Letter |

|Plants absorb carbon dioxide gases. | |

|Earthquake destruction causes deaths. | |

|Wind blows sand. | |

|Spacecraft explore deep space. | |

|Continents deflect ocean currents. | |

|Plants release oxygen. | |

|Fish live in oceans. | |

|Asteroid impacts Earth. | |

|Volcano emits toxic gases. | |

|Animals drink water. | |

|Water evaporates from the oceans. | |

|Humans mine coal. | |

|Winds generate waves. | |

|A stream carves a canyon. | |

In later chapters I will expect you to make these connections themselves. These chapter summary exercises are designed as practice sessions in the first couple of chapters.

Checkpoint 1.15, p. 21

 

#1: Complete the concept map below to summarize the characteristics of the four principal roles that Earth scientists play in society.

 [pic]

 

 

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