origins
- Big Bang theory for the formation of the universe
- stellar evolution (death) and the formation of the elements
- Solar Nebula Theory of how Earth formed
- difference between terrestrial planets and gas giants and the reason why
- Earth layering: iron core & ultramafic silicate mantle; why

atoms and minerals
calcite (calcium carbonate), quartz, feldspars, muscovite and biotite mica, amphiboles (hornblende), pyroxenes (augite), olivine
- the eight most abundant chemical elements in the crust
- protons, neutrons, electrons and how they compose atoms
- the difference between atoms, elements, ions (cations), compounds, minerals, and rocks
- chemical bonding: covalent and ionic
- the mineral classes
- silicate mineral structures and common example minerals

igneous rocks and igneous bodies
granite, rhyolite, diorite, andesite, gabbro, basalt, peridotite
- Bowen's Reaction Series (order of crystallization) and silicate structures
- classification of igneous rocks (texture and color/composition)
- igneous rock textures, coarse-grained, fine-grained, porphyry, glass, and how they form
- intrusive bodies: massive (stocks, batholiths) and tabular (dikes, sills)
- volcanic textures: pyroclastic (bombs, lapilli, ash); surface textures: pahoehoe, aa
- lava flows/viscosity: composition and temperature
- extrusive bodies: shield volcanoes, cinder cones, stratovolcanoes, calderas
- what type and viscosity of lava is associated with each

sedimentary rocks
conglomerate, sandstone, shale, limestone, coal
- sedimentary classes: clastic, biogenic, chemical
- the five stages in the formation of a sedimentary rock
- mechanical (frost wedging, etc.) and chemical weathering (hydrolysis & dissolution)
- weathering stability of silicate minerals due to silicate structures and relative abundance of silica and cations and ionic vs covalent bonding
- the formation of carbonic acid and its role in weathering
- the end products of weathering silicate rocks (lithic fragments, quartz sand (& silt), clay minerals, dissolved ions (metal cations & soluble silica)
- the relationship of grain size vs energy of the transporting medium (eg, stream velocity)
- sorting and rounding
- the three common cementing agents (silica, calcite, hematite) and where they come from

metamorphic rocks
slate, schist, gneiss, quartzite, marble
- causes of metamorphism (especially elevated temperature and pressure)
- types of metamorphism (contact, deformation, hydrothermal, regional)
- types of foliation (slaty cleavage, schistosity, gneissic banding)
- orientation of foliations relative to the applied (tectonic) forces

structural geology
joints, faults, folds, metamorphic foliation
- brittle vs. ductile response to stress
- joint sets
- the 3 categories (4 types) of faults and the stress environments in which they are found
- hanging wall and footwall
- anticlines and synclines and age relations from core to limbs
- relationship of the orientation (strike) of folds and faults to the applied (tectonic) forces

earthquakes
- strain buildup -> rupture (slippage) on faults -> seismic waves propagate outward through Earth
- P waves, S waves, and surface waves; epicenter, focus (hypocenter)
- earthquake location (triangulation)
- intensity (Mercalli) and magnitude (Richter) scales of earthquake strength
- first motion studies for determining orientation of fault and sense of fault motion
- local bedrock geology and earthquake damage risk