Sri Lanaka Earth Science Olympiad Competition - Syllabus

GEOSPHERE  (50%)

Earth's interior, Internal structure of the Earth (crust, mantle, core), Chemical composition of the Earth, Oceanic and continental crust, Minerals, Definition of a mineral, Physical properties of minerals, Chemical composition of minerals, Mineral resources of Sri Lanka, Rocks, Rock cycle, Igneous rocks (classification, texture and structure), Sedimentary rocks (classification, texture and structure), Metamorphic rocks (classification, texture and structure), Sri Lankan rocks, Geological processes, Plate tectonics, Earthquakes, Volcanism, Landslides, Tsunami, Structural geology, Strike and dip of a foliation plane, Faults, Folds, Joints and fractures, Historical geology, Geological time scale, Principals of historical geology, Unconformities

BIOSPHERE  (5%)

Types of fossils (body fossils and trace fossils) Food cycle Features of fossils (gastropods, brachio­ pods, chepolopods, trilobite) .

PLANETARY SYSTEM (ASTRONOMY) (10%)

Relative motion between the Sun, Moon and Earth - day and The birth of the solar system Terrestrial plants - Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars Outer planets - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto lunar phases, solar and lunar eclipses Comets Asteroids Satellites.

ATMOSPHERE (10%)

Basics and Energy of the Atmosphere Composition of atmosphere vert ical layers Heat transfer, radiation, solar and terrestrial radiation Albedo, energy balance Greenhouse effect Moisture, clouds, humidity and precipitation Cloud identification and classification Weather maps, weather systems and patterns Cyclones and hurricanes Precipitation (rainfall) patterns El Nino Climate patterns and classification.

HYDROSPHERE (15%)

Hydrological cycle, Drainage patterns, Floods, Water temperature, water depth, water density, Water chemistry (dissolved oxygen, salinity, hardness), Water pollution, Ocean water and sea level changes, Ocean current and tidal activities, Wave height, speed, period, length

GEOGRAPHY (10%)

Geomorphological features/ landforms (inland and sea), Geomorphological processes (running water, wind, glaciers, coastal), Rock weathering, Erosion (by running water, wind, glaciers, coast), soil profile, Major soil types, Topographic maps