Sigma Gamma Epsilon Study Guide

What is the scientific name of the state fossil of Virginia

Chesapecten jeffersonius – Scallop, index fossil for lower Yorktown formation

When was the Epsilon Eta chapter of SGE founded?

December 12, 1983

During which geological epoch were the oldest fossils discovered?

Archean—Stromatiolite fossils 3.5 bya

What are Othniel Marsh and Edward Cope famous for?

The Bone Wars or The Great Dinosaur Rush – Period of competitive fossil hunting during the Gilded Age. Marsh and Cope would sabotage each other, and try to be the most reputable paleontologist.

What is the chemical composition of the mineral Calaverite, and where did it get it’s name?

AuTe2—Named after Calaveras Co, CA, where it was discovered in 1861

Which US President was a mining engineer by training? What text did he and his wife translate from Latin to English?

Herbert Hoover—He and his wife published the first English translation of De re metalica, a 16th century work on mining and metalworking/refining/smithing

What are the five geologic provinces of VA? What is one distinctive feature of each province?

1. Coastal Plain: Coastline sediment, mostly un/partially consolidated

2. Piedmont: Contains Triassic basins of sediments deposited into ig/met rocks

3. Blue Ridge: Overturned anticline made of igneous and metamorphic rock

4. Valley and Ridge: Folds, anticlines and sinclines

5. Appalachian Plateau: Flat sedimentary rocks high above sea level

What is the most common group of minerals in the Earth’s crust? What are the endmember formulas for the group of minerals?

Feldspars:

• Anorthite: CaAl2Si2O8

• Albite: NaAlSi3O8

• Orthoclase: KAlSi3O8

What is the mineral whose formula is FeS2, what is another mineral with this chemical formula?

Pyrite—Cubic structure

Marcasite—Orthorhombic crystal structure

How many fingers did T-Rex have on each hand?

Two <3

What is the general scientific name for “sea-scorpions”?

Eurypterid—extinct early arthopods from the Ordovician, most diverse Paleozoic order with ~250 species

Name the three main body parts of a trilobite?

Head: Cephalon

Body: Thorax

Pygidium: Tail

Where is Cumbre Vieja, and what major risk do some scientists hypothesize that it poses?

Volcanic ridge in the spanish Canary Islands. There is risk of an eruption causing a landslide (catastrophic flank collapse), that may then trigger a mega-tsunami in the Atlantic Ocean

What is a komatiite, and when/where were they discovered (year and country acceptable)?

High temperature UM volcanic rock—very hot mantle, commonly from the Archean eon. Discovered in 1969 in the Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa

Which region of Virginia produced gold historically? When, roughly, was Virginia a major gold producer?

The Gold-Pyrite belt ran up central VA, in the Piedmont. VA gold mining was at its peak in the early to mid 1800s, 1840s or so. Mining slowed during the CA gold rush, and eventually stopped during the Civil War

What metamorphic mineral resource is Virginia the largest producer of in the United States?

Kyanite!

What evidence led to the acceptance of plate tectonics/continental drift? -EM

1. Puzzle piece continental shelf, not just land

2. Fossil similarities and consistencies across edges of continents

3. Mountain ranges connecting across continent edges

4. Seismic/volcanic activity along plate boundaries—active lithosphere

When/what was the snowball earth / Cryogenian period? What sedimentary rock results from ancient glaciers, and where can it be found in Virginia?

720-635mya—Diamictite is a poorly sorted conglomerate with grains of all sizes, can be found in the Konnarock formation near Mt. Rodgers/Sharptop mountain, in Washington, Smith, and Grayson counties

What thrust fault runs below Radford University campus? (Try a geologic map)

Pulaski Thrust sheet/faults

Who was Georgius Agricola, and what was his contribution to science? What does his name mean?

Father of Minerology/Geology—He wrote De re metallica, a 16th century work on mining and metalworking/refining. Agricola means “farmer”

What is pseudotachylite? What events can cause them to form?

Dark, glassy rock that forms from frictional melting along earthquakes, landslides, and meteorite impacts

What is a pallasite? What does it represent?

A stony-iron meteorite with large olivine crystals, shows the chemical makeup of other objects (planetesimals) in space (and therefore our core)