| Study Questions Texas Geology |
| 1. What is the difference between a paleontologist and a mineralogist? |
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| 2. Which type of rock could have new minerals because it experienced heat and pressure? |
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| 3. List five events that helped shape Texas as we see it today. |
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| 4. What is the general name for the oldest rocks in the geologic time scale? |
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| 5. Describe the general appearance of Texas in the late Cretaceous period. |
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| 6. What is the difference between the dark colored rocks in the eastern Franklin Mountains and the light colored rocks in the Western Franklin Mountains? |
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| 7. How do geologists know that the sedimentary rocks in the Franklin Mountains were deposited in an ocean environment? |
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| 8. Explain the difference between intrusive and extrusive igneous rock, and give an example of where you can see each type in Big Bend National Park. |
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| 9. What is the difference between a graben and a horst, and how did they form? |
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| 10. Describe the area on either side of the Caprock Escarpment. |
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| 11. Based on the description, what type of rock makes up Palo Duro Canyon: igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary? |
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| 12. Give the names for the major geographical area that surround Austin. |
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| 13. Describe two hazards that people in the Austin area have experienced in the past 130 years. |
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| 14. Explain why Enchanted Rock is known as the “Haunted Mountain.” |
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| 15. What kind of rock makes this mountain? |
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| 16. Based on what you have learned about Enchanted Rock, write a short advertisement to encourage people to visit the area. |
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| 17. .Do you think that construction of new homes and businesses should be kept a certain distance away from the karst area? Explain why. |
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| 18. .Which type of weather would you rather have if you were visiting Natural Bridge Caverns? Explain why. |
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| 19. Using the third paragraph in this passage, write a short recipe for finding a place to drill for oil. |
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| 20. Why is there so much oil in the Permian Basin? |
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| 21. Name the special feature of the Guadalupe Mountains. What once covered this formation? |
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| 22. Describe how Padre Island is changing, and how it could look different from one summer to the next. |
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