Chapter 5 Mn 1st 4 Billion Years
ESCI 1000 Chapter 5-- Minnesota’s First 4 Billion Years (32 Pts) Fall 2023 Name Maura K. McParland
Igneous and Metamorphic Sedimentary Rocks are one category of Rocks, but there are two others. What are the other two categories of Rocks?
Questions from “Common Minnesota Rocks”
2a. (3 pts) As you travel away from the shoreline into the water, what type of Sediments (the small particles that first wash into the water and settle to the bottom) will you find in locations A, B, and C ?
Sand B. Silt and Clay C. Calcim Carbonate and Shells
2b. (3pts) If these 3 sediments later harden back into Rock (Stone), what kind of Stone would each kind of sediment become?
Sandstone B. Shale C. Limestone
3. Granite If you look at the “Simplified Bedrock Geology” map on page 3 of the handout, what specific kind of rock are you most likely to find at St Cloud (the rock is in fact mined here for building material)?
Questions from “Geologic Time”
4. Morton Gneiss Minnesota has some of the oldest rocks in the world. What is the name of the Rock that is the oldest in Minnesota?
Questions from “Caves in Minnesota”
5. Fillmore County What county in Minnesota has more Karst (and caves) than all other counties in Minnesota combined?
6. Mystery Cave State Park and Niagara Cave (2 pts) What are the two commercial caves in Minnesota that are open to the general public for guided tours?
Questions From “Fossil Collecting in the Twin Cities”
7. (3 pts) Use Figure 1 from “Fossil Collecting”, Figure 3 from “Common Minnesota Rocks” to answer questions 7 and 8.
On Figure One, you can see that each layer of rock has a name. We’ll be looking at three layers that are very important in the Twin Cities, the St. Peter Sandstone, the Glenwood Shale, and the Platteville Limestone.
First, looking at figure 3 from “Common Minnesota Rocks,” what type of marine environment (deep water, shallow water, or shoreline/beach) existed in Minnesota when the…:
a. Shoreline/Beach St Peter Sandstone was first deposited?
b. Shallow water When the Glenwood Shale was deposited?
c. Deep water When the Platteville Limestone was deposited?
8. Rise Thinking about these three layers, with the St Peter Sandstone being the oldest, obviously the ocean that was covering the state fluctuated in level. Using your answer from the last question, did the ocean level Rise or Fall from the time of the St Peter Sandstone through the Glenwood Shale to the Platteville Limestone?
9. Vermilion Rage, Mesabi Range, Cuyuna Range, Gunflint Range (4 points) What are the names of Minnesota’s four “Iron Ranges”?
Questions from the Precambrian pdf handout and the Precambrian, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic handout.
Fill in the blank with the proper Geologic Era that best describes the statements:
Statement | Geologic Era |
10 Early Precambrian Rocks from this time period in Minnesota are among the oldest in the world. | a. Early Precambrian |
11 Middle Precambrian During this time, The Iron Ore deposits of the Iron range were deposited. | b. Middle Precambrian |
12 Devonian During this time, fishes filled the seas, but none have yet been “caught” in Minnesota. | c. Late Precambrian |
13 Ordovician Almost all fossils in Southeastern Minnesota were deposited during this Geologic Era (time period) | d. Cambrian |
14 Early Precambrian At some point during this time, a large mountain range formed in Minnesota, stretching all the way to Greenland. | e. Ordovician |
15 Cambrian and Ordovician During this time, sea-life in Minnesota included giant squid-like Cephalopods, sponges, corals and trilobites. | f. Devonian |
16 Late Precambrian Volcanic rocks from this time are found along the North Shore, Taylor’s falls, and along the Kettle River in Banning State Park. | g. Cretaceous |
17 Late Precambrian During this time, Minnesota began to split into two pieces. This was known as the Midcontinental rift. | |
18 Early Precambrian At some point during this time, Minnesota looked more like Hawaii, in that it consisted of volcanic islands. | |
19 Middle Precambrian At some point during this time, huge glaciers covered Minnesota. | |
20 Certaceous During this time were found the last seas ever to cover parts of Minnesota. Dinosaurs ruled the Twin Cities, although no fossils have yet been found here. |
ESCI 1000 Chapter 5-- Minnesota’s First 4 Billion Years (32 Pts) Fall 2023 Name Maura K. McParland
Igneous and Metamorphic Sedimentary Rocks are one category of Rocks, but there are two others. What are the other two categories of Rocks?
Questions from “Common Minnesota Rocks”
2a. (3 pts) As you travel away from the shoreline into the water, what type of Sediments (the small particles that first wash into the water and settle to the bottom) will you find in locations A, B, and C ?
Sand B. Silt and Clay C. Calcim Carbonate and Shells
2b. (3pts) If these 3 sediments later harden back into Rock (Stone), what kind of Stone would each kind of sediment become?
Sandstone B. Shale C. Limestone
3. Granite If you look at the “Simplified Bedrock Geology” map on page 3 of the handout, what specific kind of rock are you most likely to find at St Cloud (the rock is in fact mined here for building material)?
Questions from “Geologic Time”
4. Morton Gneiss Minnesota has some of the oldest rocks in the world. What is the name of the Rock that is the oldest in Minnesota?
Questions from “Caves in Minnesota”
5. Fillmore County What county in Minnesota has more Karst (and caves) than all other counties in Minnesota combined?
6. Mystery Cave State Park and Niagara Cave (2 pts) What are the two commercial caves in Minnesota that are open to the general public for guided tours?
Questions From “Fossil Collecting in the Twin Cities”
7. (3 pts) Use Figure 1 from “Fossil Collecting”, Figure 3 from “Common Minnesota Rocks” to answer questions 7 and 8.
On Figure One, you can see that each layer of rock has a name. We’ll be looking at three layers that are very important in the Twin Cities, the St. Peter Sandstone, the Glenwood Shale, and the Platteville Limestone.
First, looking at figure 3 from “Common Minnesota Rocks,” what type of marine environment (deep water, shallow water, or shoreline/beach) existed in Minnesota when the…:
a. Shoreline/Beach St Peter Sandstone was first deposited?
b. Shallow water When the Glenwood Shale was deposited?
c. Deep water When the Platteville Limestone was deposited?
8. Rise Thinking about these three layers, with the St Peter Sandstone being the oldest, obviously the ocean that was covering the state fluctuated in level. Using your answer from the last question, did the ocean level Rise or Fall from the time of the St Peter Sandstone through the Glenwood Shale to the Platteville Limestone?
9. Vermilion Rage, Mesabi Range, Cuyuna Range, Gunflint Range (4 points) What are the names of Minnesota’s four “Iron Ranges”?
Questions from the Precambrian pdf handout and the Precambrian, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic handout.
Fill in the blank with the proper Geologic Era that best describes the statements:
Statement | Geologic Era |
10 Early Precambrian Rocks from this time period in Minnesota are among the oldest in the world. | a. Early Precambrian |
11 Middle Precambrian During this time, The Iron Ore deposits of the Iron range were deposited. | b. Middle Precambrian |
12 Devonian During this time, fishes filled the seas, but none have yet been “caught” in Minnesota. | c. Late Precambrian |
13 Ordovician Almost all fossils in Southeastern Minnesota were deposited during this Geologic Era (time period) | d. Cambrian |
14 Early Precambrian At some point during this time, a large mountain range formed in Minnesota, stretching all the way to Greenland. | e. Ordovician |
15 Cambrian and Ordovician During this time, sea-life in Minnesota included giant squid-like Cephalopods, sponges, corals and trilobites. | f. Devonian |
16 Late Precambrian Volcanic rocks from this time are found along the North Shore, Taylor’s falls, and along the Kettle River in Banning State Park. | g. Cretaceous |
17 Late Precambrian During this time, Minnesota began to split into two pieces. This was known as the Midcontinental rift. | |
18 Early Precambrian At some point during this time, Minnesota looked more like Hawaii, in that it consisted of volcanic islands. | |
19 Middle Precambrian At some point during this time, huge glaciers covered Minnesota. | |
20 Certaceous During this time were found the last seas ever to cover parts of Minnesota. Dinosaurs ruled the Twin Cities, although no fossils have yet been found here. |