SC 370 - Geology and Geophysics

• Know how geophysical measurements are used to make predictions about the earth’s structure
• Describe how the earth has been and will be modified by various geological processes in the past, present, and future
• Identify those geographical locations where significant geological events have occurred, or are likely to occur
• Fill in the “gaps” in a typical newspaper, or newsweekly article that describes a particular geological process or event, so that the content can be of greater interest to a student
• Know the difference between silicates, carbonates and sulfides
• Know the difference between igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks
• Know the difference between convergent and divergent plate boundaries and transform faults, and know what types of earthquakes occur at each
• Know which type of volcano produces which type of lava, and which is most dangerous
• Describe the processes by which rock is eroded and becomes soil
• Know how radioactive dating and fossil dating work
• Know the different types of seismic waves
• Know which type of fault gives rise to which type of earthquake
• Know what kind of damage is caused by each kind of earthquake
• Describe the processes inside the earth’s interior that give rise to plate tectonics
• Explain how the magnetic bands on the sea floor provide evidence for continental drift
• Know how mountains are formed
• Know the causes of landslides and sinkholes
• Know how groundwater is affected by pumping and pollution
• Describe how glaciers shaped the terrain of Wisconsin
• Recognize glacial features such as kames, eskers, kettles, moraines and drumlins
• Understand what causes various types of sand dunes to move and grow
• Distinguish the different types of shorelines

• None 

• Minerals (1 class)
• Volcanoes (1 class)
• Sedimentary rocks (1 class)
• Geologic time (3 classes)
• Earth’s interior (1 class)
• Mountain building (1 class)
• Running water (1 class)
• Glaciers (1 class)
• Shorelines (1 class)