Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion

The School of the Archdiocese of Capiz

Roxas City

Self-Learning Kit in Earth & Life Science

THE EARTH’S UNIQUENESS
(1st Quarter – Week 1)

HEAVEN LEIGH N. DELA OSTIA, LPT

Prepared by
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The Earth’s
Uniqueness
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Prayer
“In the name of the Father and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Oh ineffable creator, deign to shed a ray of your brightness in our intellect,

taking from us the twofold darkness in which we are born, namely sin and
ignorance. Grant us a keen intellect, strong memory, method and facility in
learning, subtlety in interpreting and elegance in our speech. Enlighten our
beginning, direct our progress and perfect our undertakings. This we ask through
Christ Our Lord. Amen.

“In the name of the Father and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Welcome my dear students! As we face the pandemic that marks the life of
the people that brought a great change to our new normal life. We are greatly
fortunate and safe despite facing these challenges for we continue to learn and
inspire others.

I welcome you all to this subject that will motivate and encourage you all to
strive more towards a brighter future through studying the Earth & Life Science
and natural phenomenon.

Today, I challenge you all that at the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

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1. Recognize the uniqueness of Earth, being the only planet in the

solar system with properties necessary to support life.
2. Explain that the Earth consists of four subsystems, across whose
boundaries matter and energy flow.
3. Identify common rock-forming minerals using their physical and
chemical properties.
4. Classify rocks into igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.
5. Explain the importance of our planet Earth in terms of taking care
of our surroundings.

Introduction
As you all know, Geology is the study of the Earth which the word ‘geo’
means land and ‘logus’ means study. It is a multi-disciplinary science that aims to
understand processes occurring within and on the surface of the planet. These
processes are important in explaining how the planet came to be, the formation of
the materials we acquire from the earth, and preparing for natural phenomena that
may pose a threat to our survival.

Our planet is remarkably special and unique. It is, by far, the one we know
that can support life. But how our earth came to existence is simply more than just
a one-step process. The planet is the result of multiple events that slowly (and
surely) paved the way to develop the conditions that are now suitable for life. Did
our planet simply layout everything for life to enjoy? Or life had a role to play since
the beginning?

But before we proceed to our lesson proper let’s have a short game. Try to
search the words under the puzzle & encircle those words. Now, from these words,
you will encounter words that you are not familiar with. By exploring the life and
natural phenomenon outside Earth and by searching those components in the
game you will enhance your context clues and develop your word recognition, for
example, your Semantic or Meaning Clues – When you read about the Earth, you
expect to find words like water, land and air etc.

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Puzzle game

Are those words familiar to you? Why do you think those words are
connected to our topic? Pick only 6 words from the puzzle that are difficult to
understand and define them on the space provided.

Example:

1. Animals - a living organism that feeds on organic matter, typically

having specialized sense organs and nervous system and
able to respond rapidly to stimuli.

1. ___________- _____________________________________________

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2. ___________- _____________________________________________

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3. ___________- _____________________________________________

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4. ___________- _____________________________________________

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5. ___________- _____________________________________________

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6. ___________- _____________________________________________

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_____________________________________________

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Have you looked at our surroundings? Or perhaps, ever wondered how did
earth was made? In this module, you will understand how some of our
surroundings are very essential for our living activities. From the word search, you
have searched the word “LIFE” which simply means the condition that
distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for
growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
But from that word, do you think life is important in humanity? One of humanity’s
failure to protect the environment and life here on Earth is likely due to the
following: 1. Inability to recognize the full consequence of his/her actions 2. Lack
of appreciation of how truly unique the Earth is.

But how will you know that earth is very unique among all plants? I have
here a picture of the three (3) planets namely Venus, Earth & Mars. Write down on
the space provided the similarities and differences among the three planets. Use
Table 1 as a source of reference and provide possible explanations for your
observations, together with your previous knowledge about the planets.

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SIMILARITIES

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DIFFERENCES

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Table 1. Venus, Earth, Mars Comparison

(modified(from(http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/)

The rows color-coded to indicate the relationship of the three planets. Here
are the following descriptions of the different properties of each planet.
a. Escape velocity - minimum speed an object needs to escape a planet's
pull of gravity.
b. Surface pressure - atmospheric pressure at a location on the surface of
the planet. It is proportional to the mass of air above the location.
c. Temperature if no GHG - this would be the temperature of the planet
without the warming effect of greenhouse gases. Note that the temperature of the
Earth would be - 180C lower without greenhouse warming.

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The greenhouse effect is not necessarily undesirable. It is a runaway

greenhouse effect that we would like to avoid (e.g. Venus). What is the
consequence if there was not GHG effect?
d. Length of the day - a function of rotational speed.
e. The Earth's magnetic field is believed to be the consequence of the
presence of a solid metallic inner core and a liquid metallic outer core.
e. The ability of a planet to retain its internal heat is proportional to its size.
Mars may have lost much of its internal heat very early in its evolution. • A planet's
temperature is a function of distance from the Sun but is modified by the amount
of greenhouse warming.

But what makes Earth more habitable? Did you know our Earth is the only
place in the universe that can support life? It is a modest-sized planet that orbits
an average-sized star, the sun. Life on Earth is ubiquitous (means - present,
appearing, or found everywhere); it is found in boiling mud pots and hot springs, in
the deep oceans, and even under the Antarctic ice sheet. Many continental areas
are too steep, too high, or too cold for humans to inhabit.
Yet, Earth is so hospitable to life. Our planet has a molten metallic core
which enables it to hold a magnetic field. This magnetic field prevents lethal cosmic
rays from showering its surface and stripping the Earth's atmosphere. It has liquid
water and an active water cycle exists. Earth's proximity to a modest-size star, the
sun, allowed enough time for the evolution of humans, Earth's primitive
atmosphere was composed mostly of water vapor and carbon dioxide without free
oxygen. Fortunately, microorganisms evolved that released oxygen into the
atmosphere by the process of photosynthesis. About 2.2 billion years ago an
atmosphere with free oxygen came into existence. The oxygen-rich atmosphere
that makes higher life forms possible developed.

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Guide Questions:

In your own words, do you consider our earth is unique? Why?

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As a student, how can you help our planet earth maintain its natural
resources? _______________________________________________________
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Earth Subsystems

The physical environment of our Earth is traditionally divided into three

major spheres: the water portion, the hydrosphere, the gaseous envelop, the
atmosphere, and the solid part, the geosphere.

a.) Hydrosphere
The hydrosphere is a dynamic mass
of water that is continuously moving,
evaporating from the oceans to the
atmosphere, precipitating to the land, and
returning to the ocean. The global ocean is
the most prominent feature of the
hydrosphere, blanketing nearly 71 percent
of Earth's surface to an average depth of
about 3,800 meters. It accounts for about 97 percent of Earth's water. The
hydrosphere also includes the fresh water found in streams, lakes, and glaciers as
well as that found underground. In addition to providing fresh water for life, these

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streams, glaciers and groundwater are responsible for sculpting and creating many
of our landforms.

b.) Atmosphere
It is a very shallow layer. One half lies
below an altitude of 5.6 kilometers, and 90
percent occurs within 16 kilometers of
Earth's surface. This thin blanket of air
provides us with air that we breathe. It also
protects us from the sun's dangerous
ultraviolet radiation. The energy exchanges that continually occur between the
atmosphere and Earth's surface and between the atmosphere and space produce
our weather and climate.

c.) Geosphere
The geosphere extends from
the surface to the center of the
planet, a depth of 6,400 kilometers,
being the largest of the four
spheres. Most surface features give
us a clue of the dynamic processes
occurring at the Earth's interior. Soil,
the thin layer of material on the surface, supports the growth of plants. It contains
the solid portion, a mixture of weathered rock and organic matter from decayed
plants and animals. Air and water also occupy the open spaces between solid
particles.

d.) Biosphere
The biosphere includes all life on Earth. Ocean life is concentrated in the
sunlit waters of the sea. Most life is on the surface, with tree roots and borrowing

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animals reaching a few meters

underground. Flying 'insects and
birds reach a kilometer above.
Some varieties of life forms are
adapted to extreme and darkness.
On land, some bacteria thrive in
rocks as deep as 4 kilometers and
in boiling hot springs. Air currents
can carry microorganisms many kilometers into the atmosphere. Plants and
animals depend on the physical environment for the basics of life; likewise, they
help and maintain balance in the ecosystem through countless ecological
interactions.

Guide Question:

But how does this earth’s subsystems work together?

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Materials of the Earth

Mineralogy is the study of minerals. Minerals are the building blocks of

rocks. Mineral is defined as a naturally formed, generally inorganic, crystalline solid
composed of an ordered array of atoms and having a specific chemical
composition. Minerals therefore, can be described as:
a) inorganic — formed by natural geologic processes.

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b) formed in nature,
c) solids — crystalline substance that
are solid at temperature at Earth's surface.
d) atoms have the same crystalline
pattern, and with specific chemical
composition.
e) crystalline atoms are arranged in
an orderly repetitive
f) can be represented by a chemical
formula.

1.) Physical Properties of Minerals

Scientists identify more common minerals by their color or appearance;
others include their taste, smell, feel, and sound. The physical properties that can
be tested are:

1.) Luster
2.) hardness
3.) streak
4.) cleavage
5.) fracture
6.) color
7.) specific gravity and
8.) crystal form
a.) Luster — refers to the way light is
reflected from a mineral surface. Some have a
metallic surface such as gold, silver and copper.
Others are described as vitreous or glassy, pearly,
silky, resinous, and earthy or dull,

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b.) Hardness — refers to the minerals resistance to being scratched.

The harder ones are difficult to scratch, the softer ones are less resistant to
scratches. Frederich Moh, a German mineralogist prepared a scale of
hardness with a number of 1-10 in the increasing hardness.

Moh's Scale of Hardness

Rough approximates include: nail hardness of 2.5, copper penny 3; and

glass 5.5.

c.) Color and streak — refers to

the color of the powdered mineral.
The sample is rubbed across a
piece of unglazed porcelain or
streak plate.

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d.) Cleavage — is the tendency of

minerals to break along planes of
weak bonding. It is described by
the number of planes exhibited
and the angles at which they
meet.

e.) Fracture — minerals that

do not exhibit cleavage are
said to fracture when
broken. Some break like
glass, some into splinters or
fiber.

f.) Color — Some are of the same color

like azurite is always deep blue,
malachite is green, cinnabar is red,
sulfur is yellow.

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g.) Specific Gravity — is a

number which represents the
ratio to the weight of an equal
volume of water. Example,
Galena is 7.5 times heavier than
a comparable volume of water.

h.) Crystal form — external

features of a mineral reflect its
orderly internal arrangement
of atoms.

2.) Chemical Properties of Minerals

A sample chemical test is a.) taste test. NaCl (common table salt)
has a distinctly salty taste. b.) The fizz test is used, such as carbonate
minerals effervesce (fizz) in hydrochloric acid, giving off bubbles of carbon
dioxide gas.

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Natural Resources
The Earth's crust and oceans are the sources of a wide variety of useful and
essential minerals. Renewable resources can be replenished. Common examples
are plants and animals for food, natural fibers for clothing, and forest products for
lumber and paper. Nonrenewable are same basic resources such as iron,
aluminum, and copper. Others are fuels like oil, natural gas and coal.
Rich deposits of metallic minerals such as iron, nickel, copper, gold, silver,
chromium, zinc, and lead are also located. Gold is the precious metal which can
be found pure in nature. Mercury reserves are located in Albay and Palawan. Our
biggest lead deposits are found in Ayala, Zamboanga City. Molybdemum deposits
occur in Batangas.

Gold is the metal for adornment. It exhibits a shiny yellow color and a
specific gravity of 29.3.

Other metals chosen are silver and platinum. Platinum is used as a catalyst
in refining petroleum.

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Guide Question:

Why is it important to know the properties of minerals? _______________

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What are some common properties of minerals? ___________________
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Rocks
Earth Science includes geology the study of the earth's natural materials
and processes. It includes the study of the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and
weather. It begins with an investigation of the rocks and minerals.

The Earth's crust is relatively thin, less than 1 percent of the earth's radius.
In this very thin layer are found the materials — the minerals and the aggregates
of minerals we know as rocks. Rocks help us decipher the Earth's past and
understand the processes that have shaped our planet. Petrology is the study of
rocks.

Properties of Rocks
1.) Rocks exhibit different properties. As.to color, rocks may be dark, light,
reddish, gray, brown, yellow or even black.
2.) Rocks differ in texture: Some are fine, others are rough.
3.) Some are glossy in appearance and smooth to touch.
4.) Most rocks are hard, others are brittle.

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The rocks of the Earth's surface are classified into three types according to
their origin: a) igneous, b) sedimentary, and c) metamorphic.

Igneous rocks

Igneous rocks are formed by the

cooling and crystallization of hot,
molten rock material called magma.
Igneous means "formed by fire". It
makes up about 95 percent of the
Earth's crust. Molten magma 'is
composed of elements and gases:
oxygen (46%) silicon (270/0),
aluminum (8%), iron (6%), calcium
(4%), potassium (3%), sodium (3%), and magnesium (3%). Granite and basalt are
common igneous rocks. When molten rock reaches the surface it is called lava.

Lava is similar to magma except that most of the gases have escaped. The
rocks resulting when lava solidifies are classified as extrusive rocks. The magma
that does not reach the surface and crystallizes at great depths are called intrusive
rocks. Large intrusive igneous rocks bodies are called plutons. A common pluton
is a dike — formed by the intrusion of magma into fractures that cut across the
layering of existing rocks. Another pluton is a still — formed by the intrusion of
magma into fractures that are parallel to the layering of existing rocks. A variation
of a sill is a laccolith. Bacoliths are the largest of the plutons.

Common igneous rocks are: granite, rhyolite, diorite, andesite, basalt,

gabbro. Importance of sedimentary rocks: a.) contains fossils that are evidences
of geologic past. B,) coal, petroleum and natural gas are major energy source, c,)
iron, aluminum and manganese are used in the construction industry.

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Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary rocks are the
most common in the uppermost
portion of the crust. Sedimentary
was derived from the word
sedimentation which means
"settling" as in the settling of a
material from a fluid. These rocks
account for about 75% of the
rocks on the surface. Sedimentary
rocks are formed when weathered products are transported by running water and
later deposited in the ocean where it is lithified, It is about 5% of the Earth's 16-
kilometer crust.

Sedimentary rocks may be classified into 2 major groups: clastic and

nonclastic. Examples of clastic are conglomerate, breccis, sandstone, shale,
calcite, halite (the chief component of rock salt,) and gypsum. Nonclastic
sediments are calcite (calcium carbonate) which is the main constituent of
limestone. Halite (sodium chloride) is the chief component of rock salt. Coal is an
important example of an organic sediment. In others, colored black are called
carboneous shale. Limestone and sandstone are common examples of
sedimentary rock.

Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic rocks are formed under conditions of heat and pressure
similar to the environment 'in which igneous rocks are formed, Temperatures are
lower and the change may occur at depths 12-16 km beneath the surface.
Metamorphic rocks change while the rock 'is still solid. The original rock 'undergoes
rearrangement of mineral grains and enlargement of crystals. Metamorphic rocks
contain minerals found in igneous rocks. The first metamorphic change is a

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rearrangement of mineral grains. Minerals align in bands or layers. As the

temperature rises, crystals become bigger and chemical reactions occur.

Kinds of Metamorphic Rocks

Metamorphic rocks are
classified as: 'foliated or banded. It
includes slates, phyllites, and
gneiss. Nonfoliated rocks do not
have bending. These include
marble, quartzite, and serpentine.
Marble is changed from pure
limestone. Quartzite forms from
sandstone, Serpentine is
metamorphosed into basalt. Marble and slates are well-known examples of
metamorphic rocks.

Guide Question:

Why is there a need to classify this types of rocks? __________________

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Describe the characteristics of each types of rocks? _________________

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Challenge Yourself
For the summary answer the following questions and write your answers on
the spaces provided.

A. Answer the following questions.

1. What are the physical and chemical properties between the Earth and
its neighboring planets?
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2. What makes the Earth habitable? ______________________________

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3. Do you think this factors stated above can help your life here on Earth?

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B. Make an illustration showing the earth’s subsystems. Describe briefly each

subsystem.

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C. Classify the following rocks in the first box as to Igneous, Sedimentary

and Metamorphic and fill up the table with the characteristics of the three types of
rocks according to your readings in this module.

Granite Marble Basalt Gypsum

Conglomerate Calcite Slate Schist
Pumice Sandstone Diorite Quartzite
Halite Andesite Limestone

II

Igneous Sedimentary Metamorphic

Characteristics: Characteristics: Characteristics:

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D. Identify the term describe in each item. Write your answers on the blank before
each number.

________________1. The study of rocks.

________________2. The color of the powder of a mineral.

________________3. The appearance of the mineral surface in the reflected light.

________________4. The weight of a mineral compared to the weight of an equal

volume of water.

________________5. The resistance of the mineral from being scratched.

________________6. The tendency of the minerals to break along planes of weak

bonding.

________________7. The only mineral that can scratch a diamond.

________________8. The building blocks of rocks.

________________9. These are rocks that have undergone solidification from a

molten condition.

________________10. The study of minerals.

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Application
Go out of your house and take a picture of the rocks and the different
subsystems that is available at your place. After you take pictures, classify each
pictures according to types of rocks and subsystems. Put your pictures on the
space provided.

TYPES OF ROCKS IN OUR PLACE

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SUBSYSTEMS IN OUR PLACE

That’s all for today class. Have a nice day and stay safe!

“In the name of the Father and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Glory Be to the Father:

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in
the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Mary seat of Wisdom, “Pray for us”

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References/Links:

 (modified(from(http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/)

 James Cesar Refran and Pamela Louise M. Tolentino- Earth

Science Vibal Group Inc. 2016
 Gloria G. Salandanan, Ph.D., Ruben E. Faltado III, Ph.D, and Merle
B. Lopez, Ed.D- Earth and Life Science for Senior high school (core
subject)


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