Chapter 2 Earth and Earth System 3

Earth Planetary Data
A sphere is…
… like a ball.
…or a series of three dimensional circles

The meaning of the prefixes
– Geo means Rock
– Hydro means Water
– Atmo means Air
– Bio means Life

The atmosphere…
… is the sphere of air that surrounds the earth.
– 78 % N, 20% O and 0.0325% carbon dioxide
– Water vapor –source of clouds
– Condensation – water vapor forms to clouds
– Water cycle
– Dust particles/ nucleic grains of salt from the ocean spary,
fire, burning of meteors. Prism effect in air.
– Ozone – absorb ultraviolet radiation from the sun
– smog
Layers of the atmosphere
1. Troposphere – 6 km to 20 km
Weather occurs
2. Stratosphere – 21 km -50 km
ozone layer (10-20 mi above the earth)
3. Mesosphere – 51 km - 85 km
– Lowest temp around 90 C
– Meteor burn
4. Thermosphere – 86 km – 690 km
first exposed sun radiation
auroras
shape shuttle orbits
ionosphere – charge particles (D, E and F region)
D – 55 miles above E
E (Kennelly-Heaviside layer) – 55 – 100 mi, reflect radio
waves
F (Appleton layer)
5. Exosphere – 691 km – out into space
The Hydrosphere…
… is the sphere of water that covers 70% of the Earth.
Hydrologic Cycle
– Evaporation
– Transpiration
– Precipitation
– Condensation
The hydrosphere is made up of all the
salt water and fresh water on Earth.
Salt water in the

oceans and seas.
Fresh water in the lakes,

rivers and streams and the
frozen water on Earth.
Hydrosphere continued…
– All liquid water runs down hill.
– It starts as fresh water in the high areas and runs down hill until it reaches
the ocean.
The Geosphere…
…is the sphere of rock that is the Earth.
This includes the rock on the surface
and the interior.
The crust
– Outer rocky layer of the earth

– Thinnest layer about 3 km to 80 km
– Divided: oceanic and continental
– Crust 2 types of solids: (1.cont)sia/silicon-aluminum rock/sialic
layer (2.ocean) sima/silicon-magnesium rock/sematic layer
– Geologist believed that oceanic crust is younger, aging 200
million years old while continental crust is 2500 million years
old
– Seismic waves moves faster in the oceanic crust
The Moho
– 1909, geologist Andrija Mohorovic discovered the change

of velocity of seismic waves as they passed from the crust
to the mantle.
– Zone difference between density of mantle and crust was
called Mohorovic discontinuity or Moho
The Mantle
– The composition is understudy

– Thickest layer
– 2900 km thick and denser than the crust
– Made up of iron and magnesium silicates
– Mantle is not uniform through out, but the characters
changes.
– Earthquakes always occur above 700 km, on the upper
mantle
– Scientist today believed that the crust and the rigid outer
zone of the mantle make up the layer called lithosphere.
– Zone directly under the lithosphere, which is completely
liquid and containing magma, is dense layer called
asthenosphere.
– The rest of the solid dense mantle below the
asthenosphere is called mesosphere
The Outer Core
– Core comprised 32% of the earth mass

– P-waved analysis suggested that the core has 2 parts, a liquid
outer ore and a solid inner core.
– Earth core begins at a depth about 2900 km below the surface
– Beno Gutenberg, a German geologist discovered the boundary
or discontinuity between the mantle and core. He believed
that outer core is made up of liquid, probably melted iron
because the slower S waves could not pass through this layer.
– Gutenberg discontinuity
The Inner Core
– Almost solid iron

– 5500 degree Celsius
– Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann discovered the
boundary or discontinuity between the liquid outer core
and the solid inner core
– Lehman Discontinuity
The Biosphere…
…is the sphere of living things on Earth.
Biosphere continued…
This includes all the plants, animals, fungus, protists and bacteria on Earth.
Organization of Life
Each of these spheres is also
considered a system because they are
always moving and being recycled.
– In the biosphere the life forms have a lifespan and when they die they
provide nourishment for other organisms.
– In the geosphere, the rocks are endlessly being broken down, then recycled
into new rocks.
– In the hydrosphere, the water is endlessly moving,
changing states and becoming refreshed.
– In the atmosphere, the air is continually rising, falling and
mixing.
The spheres / systems are
endlessly interacting.
– Can you think of ways that they interact?

How about the biosphere and the
hydrosphere?
– All living things require water to live.
– Many animals live in the water.
– Animals like beavers can alter the path of
the water.
Activity Time!
– The class will be group into three

– Each group are given 10 minutes to share their ideas
– Each group will present their idea to the whole class.
G1. Describe the spheres /
systems that are interacting.

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Chapter 2 Earth and Earth System 3

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Earth Planetary Data

…or a series of three dimensional circles

– Geo means Rock

– Hydro means Water

– Atmo means Air

– Bio means Life

Salt water in the

Fresh water in the lakes,

– All liquid water runs down hill.

– Outer rocky layer of the earth

– 1909, geologist Andrija Mohorovic discovered the change

– The composition is understudy

– Core comprised 32% of the earth mass

– Almost solid iron

– Can you think of ways that they interact?

– The class will be group into three

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