Neptune and the Fires of Hell

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Assignments

Peters, Neptune Versus the Fires of Hell, ch. 4.

Reminders

Votes needed for the movie night! Please vote only if you would come. The following movies have been nominated: Twister, The River, Dante's Peak, Jurassic Park, Contact, and Bringing up Baby (starring Cary Grant as a palaeontologist). Email your vote or additional nominations to me ASAP.

Reading Focus Questions

Read the entire chapter. Focus your attention on methods of reasoning in the earth sciences rather than merely Peters' presentation of information. Study her photographs and illustrations. Be prepared to answer any of these questions should they occur on a quiz or on the final exam.

 

  1. ______________ was the view that virtually all rocks formed by chemical precipitation out of a gradually-diminishing primitive ocean.
  2. The modern view of the origin of rocks is known as the ________ _____________.
  3. Explain the various field evidences that led many German mineralogists to argue that basalt was of sedimentary (Neptunist) origin:
    1. Basalt beds (Figs. 4-2, 4-6, and 4-7; compare with your specimens of shale and basalt).
    2. Basalt columns (Fig. 4-3).
  4. How did Neptunists explain the formation of thin vertical veins of basalt? (Fig. 4-4)
  5. Did basalt layers ever contain fossils?
    • How would you have explained this if you were a Neptunist?
  6. Volcanic scoria from Italy and Iceland turned out to be chemically identical to basalt. If you had been a Neptunist, would this evidence have persuaded you to renounce Neptunism?
  7. James Hutton's geological views contradicted the Neptunists. Hutton in part relied upon a teleological argument from design. Explain the role of each of the following in his teleological view:
    1. erosion
    2. consolidation
    3. elevation
  8. Review Peters' account of "The Rock Cycle Today." Note especially how she introduces metamorphic rocks. Explain the analogy with Silly Putty or warm wax.
  9. ___________ is formed from the metamorphosis of limestone.
  10. ___________ is formed from the metamorphosis of shale.
  11. ___________ and _________ may be formed by intense metamorphosis of shale or granite.
  12. ___________ is formed from the metamorphosis of sandstone.
  13. Trace all of the arrows in Figure 4-10 and be ready to explain them.
  14. Answer questions 1, 2, and 4 at the end of the chapter.
    • (Question 3 would make a perfect topic for a geology reflection.)