1. Earth History GEOL 2110 Midterm 2 Preparation/Review

2. Style of Questions Matching term w/ definition Short definition of concepts/processes Name some of multiple characteristics 25% of points from Part II Quizzes REVIEW PowerPoints!! Understand Figures in Text. Focus on the Narrative – the great book of the Earth, chapter by chapter.

3. The Precambrian IN MINNESOTA Know the Eons/Eras 4 Main Tectonic Events in MN General Ages of the 4 main events Characteristic rock types of the four main events. Continents formed from each event

4. Summary of Early Earth Events Sudbury Impact Sudbury Impact

5. SUPERCONTINENT - RODINIA What causes break-up?

6. Contributions to the Cambrian Explosion of Life End of the extreme snowball earth glaciation Tectonic break-up of Rodinia increases niches Potentially higher atmospheric O 2 promotes calcite exoskeleton secretion Increased nutrients associated with more rifting and volcanic activity Abundant cyanobacterial mats for molluscs and other small invertebrates to graze Development of predators Tiering of biotic activity on the sea floors

7. Paleozoic Era and its 8 Periods KNOW Order of Periods Characteristic Rock Types Paleogeography Depositional Environments Trangressive Sequences Characteristic Organisms Tectonic Events CambrianC OrdovicianO SilurianS DevonianD MississippianM Carboniferous PennsylvanianP PermianP CambrianChasing OrdovicianOstriches on SilurianSand DevonianDunes MississippianMakes CarboniferousCathy PennsylvanianPee her PermianPants

8. Early Paleozoic Era

11. The Ordovician “Explosion” Changes in Ordovician from Cambrian Fauna more complex food chain extend higher above the seabed hard part made of calcite rather than phospate

12. Middle Paleozoic

14. Sedimentary Rocks and Depositional Environments Flysch Molasse Coal Beds Evaporites (gypsum, halite) High-angle Cross-bedded Sandstone Organic Reef Complexes Carbonates (limestone and dolostone) Quartz sandstone Shale and Siltstone Iron Formation Graywacke/Shale

15. Middle Paleozoic

16. The Age of Fishes

17. Plants colonize the land! Invasion of the Land Vascular Plants take Root

18. Late Paleozoic

21. Permian Craton Tilts West / Seas Retreat / Climate Dries

22. Late Paleozoic – All Genera Established

23. The Great Permo-Triassic Extinction 90-95% of all marine species die out, and land life too Proposed Causes - Global cooling due to Gondwana glaciation - Reduced marine habitat due to the creation of Pangea - Extreme climatic changes - Oxygen depletion due to exposure of coal deposits - Upwelling of CO 2 from deep ocean waters – hypercapnia - Intense outpouring of basalt in Serbia NO EVIDENCE OF A METEOR IMPACT AT LEAST!

24. Summary of Paleozoic Tectonics North American Paleozoic Orogenies Acadian/Caledonian Appalachian/Hercynian Taconian Gondwanaland

25. REMEMBER - IT’S ALL ABOUT THE STORY! Good Luck!