A partial and incomplete list of topics for Test 1, Oceanography
The
Scientific Method
Describe the steps of the scientific method
Explain how the scientific method was applied in
the development of continental drift and then plate tectonics.
Differentiate between a hypothesis and a theory.
Explain how the word “theory” differs in its
scientific sense and how it is used in everyday language.
Continental Drift and Alfred Wegener
Explain how continental drift differs from plate
tectonics
What evidence was used in favor of continental
drift?
Explain what continental drift is
What evidence was used against continental drift?
Is Alfred Wegener one of our heroes in the Earth
Sciences? Why?
What was the main piece of evidence that allowed
Earth Scientists to recognize plate tectonics and agree that plates really do
move?
Earth
Layering
Explain the difference between the two types of
Earth layering
Recite the names of the layers in both types of
Earth layering
Explain the significance in terms of plate
tectonics of the lithosphere being strong and rock-like, whereas the
asthenosphere and mesosphere deforms plastically
What causes compositional layering?
Which layer comprises the plates?
What distinguishes crust from mantle?
What is the core made out of?
Seafloor
Bathymetry and Plate Tectonics
In what tectonic settings do earthquakes occur?
At what tectonic setting do the biggest
earthquakes occur?
At what tectonic setting do the largest
earthquakes occur?
Identify and label the major plates, including
the North American, Pacific, South American, Indo-Australian, Eurasian, Nazca,
African, Antarctic
Determine the relative motion of plates based on
the kinds of margins that surround them
About how fast do plates move?
What is the difference between continental rock
and oceanic rock found in the crust?
Recognize the characteristics of explosive vs non-explosive volcanoes and know where they are most likely to be found. For possible extra credit, look at this site: http://www.mpcfaculty.net/alfred_hochstaedter/Ocean/special.htm
On bathymetric maps, recognize mid-ocean ridges, deep-sea trenches, transform faults, and fracture zones
Explain the tectonic setting of each of the features just mentioned
Recognize the kind of volcano, and kind of volcanic deposit that typifies each of the settings where volcanism occurs
Describe the location of the San Andreas Fault and its role as a plate boundary between the North American and Pacific Plates.
Mid-Ocean Ridges
Recognize the features found at mid-ocean ridges, such as pillow basalts, hydrothermal vents, and chemosynthetic organisms.
Explain what a chemosynthetic organism does and where it gets its energy.
Recognize pillow basalts.
Recognize depositional environments and erosional environments in the
continental margin system
Isostasy
Isostasy is analogous to buoyancy. What is the
difference between isostasy and buoyancy? Why are they analogous?
Why are mid-ocean ridges high?
Why are continents high? Why are ocean basins low?
Navigation
Skills
Use the degrees and decimal minutes of latitude
and longitude to describe a location on a navigational chart like the Monterey
Bay chart
Describe the angle within a globe that measures
latitude and the angle that measures longitude
Identify the equator and the prime meridian
Explain why the prime meridian is important
Given a bar scale, be able to estimate distance
between two points
Describe what scale is
Recognize the relative difference in scale
between two maps
Describe and measure heading, or bearing, on a
navigational chart. Heading and bearing is just another word for what?
Use the concept of triangulation to determine location
Bathymetry and Contour Lines
Explain the value of a contour line. Why do we use them?
Recognize and/or draw basic topographic features (valleys, hills, canyons) on contour maps
Draw contours on a map given depths or elevations at specific points
Draw a topographic or bathymetric profile along a line across a contour map