Earth and Life Science

Grade 11/12 • Unit 3: Introduction to Earth System Science

LESSON 3.2
Four Subsystems of Earth
Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Learning Competency 2

Learning Objectives 2

Warm-Up 2

Learn about It 3
Atmosphere 4
Geosphere 5
Hydrosphere 6
Biosphere 6

Key Points 7

Check Your Understanding 7

Bibliography 9
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Grade 11/12 • Unit 3: Introduction to Earth System Science

Lesson 3.2
Four Subsystems of Earth

The Earth consists of four subsystems that continuously interact.

Introduction
To further understand Earth as a system, you need to understand the different subsystems
of our planet. The four major subsystems of Earth are the atmosphere, geosphere,
hydrosphere, and biosphere. The word sphere comes from the Greek word sphaira, which
means globe or ball. Each sphere is composed of matter that are similar in nature, which is
also the basis for their names. What makes each sphere unique?

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 3: Introduction to Earth System Science

Learning Competency
At the end of this lesson, the given DepEd learning competency should be met
by the students.
● Explain that the Earth consists of four subsystems, across whose
boundaries matter and energy flow (S11/12ES-Ia-e-4).

Learning Objectives
In this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
● Explain that the Earth consists of four subsystems, across whose
boundaries matter and energy flow.
● Differentiate among these four subsystems of Earth.

Warm-Up

Order Please!

Materials
● props for the demonstration

The activity will demonstrate what

happens inside a fast food
restaurant, where each student
will pick a role. The demonstration
will start when a customer orders
food and will end after serving the
food to the customer.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 3: Introduction to Earth System Science

Procedure
1. You will be randomly assigned with the following roles:
a. cashier
b. kitchen crew 1 (receives the order)
c. kitchen crew 2 (prepares the food)
d. kitchen crew 3 (cleans the tables)
e. store manager (coordinates activities and handles problems)
f. customers (all other students are customers)
2. You will be given three minutes to plan your demonstration.
3. Proceed with the class demonstration.
4. Answer the guide questions thereafter.

Guide Questions
1. Why are there roles for each employee in the restaurant?
2. What do these roles tell you about a system?
3. How are these roles similar to the systems of Earth?

Learn about It
Earth is a complex self regulating system
that consists of four major subsystems,
namely: atmosphere, hydrosphere,
geosphere, and biosphere. Each subsystem
plays important roles in maintaining
balance and equilibrium in Earth’s system.
At the same time, each subsystem has
unique components that make them highly
different from one another.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 3: Introduction to Earth System Science

Atmosphere
The atmosphere makes up all the gases on
Earth. Its name comes from the Greek word
atmos, which means gas. It has no specific
boundary but an imaginary line called the
Karman line separates the atmosphere
and outer space. The most abundant gas is
nitrogen, which makes up 78.1% of the
atmosphere. Oxygen comes second at
20.9%, and argon, a noble gas, is at 0.9%.
Lastly, carbon dioxide and the rest of the
gases combined constitute 0.1%.

The atmosphere has different layers:

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere,
thermosphere, and exosphere. Each layer has its
own set of special features that make it different
from each other.
● The troposphere extends to about 14.5 km above the surface of Earth. It is the
lowest layer where the weather disturbances occur.
● The stratosphere is found 14.5 to 50 km above Earth’s surface. The ozone layer that
absorbs almost all of the sun's harmful ultraviolet light is part of this layer.
● The mesosphere extends from 50 to 85 km above Earth’s surface. It protects Earth
from the impact of space debris. The coldest temperatures on Earth, at -90°C are
found near the top of this layer.
● The thermosphere is found 85 to 600 km above Earth’s surface. It has charged
particles that are affected by Earth’s magnetic field. The particles create the Auroras
or Northern and Southern lights. Many satellites also orbit Earth in this layer.
● The exosphere is the outermost layer. It extends to about 10 000 km above Earth’s
surface, though there is no clear boundary where the exosphere ends and space
begins.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 3: Introduction to Earth System Science

Geosphere
Geosphere comes from the Greek word geo which means ground. It includes all the soil,
rocks, and minerals present in the crust to the core of Earth. It is divided into three layers,
namely: crust, mantle, and core.

Essential Question
What comprises the crust, mantle and core of the geosphere?

The crust is the outermost layer of the geosphere. It is made mostly of silicate materials.
There are two different types of crust, the oceanic and continental crusts. The oceanic
crust lies beneath the oceanic floors which is about 5 to 10 km thick. On the other hand, the
thicker continental crust makes up the continents and is about 15 to 70 km thick. The
boundary between the crust and mantle is known as the Mohorovicic discontinuity or
Moho. This was named after the Croatian scientist, Andrija Mohorovicic.

Fig. 3. Internal structure of Earth

The mantle is a 2 900 km thick layer below the crust that is mostly made up of silicate rocks
rich in magnesium, iron, oxygen, and silicon. Mantle’s temperature increases with its depth.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 3: Introduction to Earth System Science

The layer directly below the crust has the lowest temperature and is soft enough to allow
plates of the crust to move. On the other hand, the layer with the highest temperature is
found in contact with the heat-producing core.

Based on its mineral composition and the type of deformation, the mantle can be divided
into several layers. The uppermost mantle is cold and brittle, and together with the crust
forms the lithosphere, the hard rigid outermost layer of Earth. It is broken up into tectonic
plates. The asthenosphere is the layer directly beneath the lithosphere that is hot enough
to flow and minimally melt, allowing the lithospheric or tectonic plates above to move. The
lower mantle is hotter and denser than the upper mantle but it remains solid because of the
immense pressure.

The core, which has a radius of 3 480 km, is the innermost layer of Earth. It is made up of
iron and nickel. It is composed of two layers, the outer core and the inner core. These two
regions are separated by a boundary called Bullen discontinuity.

Hydrosphere
Hydrosphere comes from the Greek word hydro which means water. It is composed of all
water on Earth in any form: water vapor, liquid water, and ice. It is 97.5% saltwater and 2.5%
freshwater. It includes all bodies of water such as oceans, lakes, rivers, and marshes. Clouds
and rain are also part of the hydrosphere.

Biosphere
Biosphere comes from the Greek word bio which means life. It is composed of all living
things and their interrelations. It includes all microbes, plants, and animals. It extends to the
upper areas of the atmosphere where insects and birds can be found. It also reaches the
deep parts of the oceans where marine organisms can still survive.

Organisms interact with other organisms and the physical environment. They form
communities called biomes. Biomes exist all over the world. Examples of biomes include
deserts, tropical rainforests, swamps, or coral reefs.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 3: Introduction to Earth System Science

Did You Know?

If you think Earth is a big solid planet, better think again. Earth consists of
different layers like an onion. Earth’s crust has its deepest point in
mountainous areas that can reach up to 70 km thick. It is normally light in
color and highly consists of granite laid under layers of sedimentary rock,
which is made of combined rock and fossilized of dead animals and plants.
Due to this nature, this subsystem serves as a reservoir of minerals such as
nickel and calcium carbonate that are continuously being mined by
humans for various applications.

Key Points

● There are four primary subsystems of Earth: atmosphere, geosphere,

hydrosphere, and biosphere.
● The atmosphere is made up of various gaseous elements.
● The geosphere is composed of all the soil, rocks, and minerals from the surface of
Earth up to its interior.
● The hydrosphere includes all forms of water bodies on Earth.
● The biosphere includes all living things on Earth.

Check Your Understanding

A. Match the item to the sphere where it belongs by checking the box under its field.

Atmosphere Geosphere Hydrosphere Biosphere

Eagle

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Oxygen gas

Pasig River

Mayon Volcano

Mango

Laguna de Bay

Neon lights

Batanes Islands

Bacteria

Aurora borealis

B. Identify the following.

1. It is how water moves in the oceans.
2. It is the combination of the crust and upper mantle.
3. It is the process where water moves into the atmosphere.
4. It is where water in the oceans is warmed.
5. It is the innermost layer of Earth’s interior.
6. All living things are part of this sphere.
7. It is the layer of the atmosphere where weather occurs.
8. It is the type of crust found under the oceans.
9. It makes up 97.5% of all the water on Earth.
10. It is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere.

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Bibliography
Botkin, Daniel B and Edward A Keller. 2011. Environmental Science Earth as a Living Planet.
USA: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Hefferan, Kevin and John O’Brien. 2010. Earth Materials. UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Marshak, Stephen. 2009. Essentials of Geology 3rd Edition, New York: W.W. Norton &
Company.

NASA. “International Cooperation.” Accessed April 3, 2018.

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/cooperation/index.html.

NASA. “Astronaut Requirements.” Accessed April 3, 2018.

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/features/F_Astronaut_Re
quirements.html.

Prothero, Donald R and Robert H. Dott, Jr. 2010. Evolution of the Earth. New York:
McGraw-Hill.

Tarbuck, Edward J and Frederick K. Lutgens. 2015. Earth Science. 14th edition. Pearson
Education Inc.

United States Geological Survey. “Precipitation: The Water Cycle.” Last modified December
2, 2016. Accessed February 8, 2017.
http://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycleprecipitation.html.

University of Colorado Boulder. “Biogeochemical Cycles.” Accessed April 3, 2018.

https://web.archive.org/web/20160308040209/https://www.colorado.edu/GeolSci/co
urses/GEOL1070/chap04/chapter4.html.

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University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. “Layers of Earth’s Atmosphere.”

https://scied.ucar.edu/atmosphere-layers.

University of Michigan’s Global Change Courses. “A Goddess of the Earth? A Debate over
the Gaia Hypothesis.” Accessed April 3, 2018.
https://globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/Gaia/index.html.

Utah State University. “Trees and Climate Change.” Accessed April 4, 2018.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2783&context=extension
_curall.

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