Earth Science

What does Earth's interior retain?

It retains much of the energy from the planet's formation

What do all systems have?

boundaries

a thin layer of water that approximately 71% of Earth's surface is covered with

global ocean

blank % of the earth's surface is covered by a thin layer of water called blank

71% and global ocean

Only a small amount of what two things from space enters the system?

dust and rocks

During the processes of evaporation and transpiration, water absorbs BLANK and changes BLANK.

energy and changes state

What kind of sources do these cycles rely on to drive them?

energy sources

The outer core surrounds the BLANK

inner core

scientist think that motions with liquid BLANK of Earth's outer core produce electric currents.

iron

How does mantle rock allow tectonic plates to move on top of it?

it moves very slowly or flows I should say

Greeks:

kept a catalogue of rocks and minerals 200 BCE

Chinese :

kept a record of earthquakes around 780 BCE

all systems are BLANK

linked

outter core

liquid layer before the inner core

What is below the mesosphere?

liquid outer core

nitrogen

makes up most of our atmosphere

What kind of rock is the asthenosphere made of ?

mantle

scientist has made what through the studies of seismic waves

many important discoveries about earth's interior

What are the two most basic components of the universe?

matter and energy

What do many systems have flow through them?

matter and energy

weight

measure of the strength of the pull of gravity on an object

CH4

methane

The mesosphere is the "what sphere" ?

middle

the mesosphere reaches the bottom of BLANK to a depth of BLANK.

the bottom of the asthenosphere to a depth of 2900km

What is the difference about your weight at the Equator than at the North Pole?

your weight is about 3% less at the equator than at the North Pole

earth's most important external energy source is what

the sun

What depth does the solid inner core begin at?

5150km

the mantle makes up how much of earth's mass

2/3

How thick is the plastic asthenosphere?

200 km - 250 km

how thick is the mantle

2900km

earth is made of how many compositional zones?

3

what is the earth's core's radius

3500km

the earth was formed about how many years ago

4.6 billion

earth is made up of how many structural zones

5

how many structural zones are made from dividing the compositional zones

5

how thick is oceanic crust

5-10km

nitrogen is returned to the soil by what

decay and animal wastes

What does the atmosphere shield Earth from?

the sun's harmful radiation

Crust

the thin outer layer of Earth is thin and solid

energy budget

the transferr of energy between earth's spheres

how thick is continental crust

15-80km

carbonate

a type of rock

What does the heating of solar radiation cause?

It causes the movement of air masses , which generates winds and ocean currents.

What happens when water loses energy?

It condenses to form water droplets , such as those that form clouds.

True or False: The asthenosphere flows fast to have tectonic plates move on top of it.

False: it flows slowly to allow them to move on top of it

True or False: The plastic asthenosphere is about 150 km thick.

False: it is 200km to 250km thick

Eventually, what does the water do?

It falls back to Earth's surface as precipitation.

Sl

International System of Units

What does the gravitational energy from the moon and sun help generate?

It helps generate tides that cause currents and drive the mixing of ocean water.

However, the Earth system is almost a what kind of system because of what?

It is almost a closed system because the matter exchange is limited.

What do many chemical reactions on Earth require?

It requires solar energy.

What heated the Earth about 4.6 billion years ago ?

The Earth's interior was heated by radioactive decay and gravitational contraction.

The operation of the Earth system is a result of the interaction of what?

The result of the interaction of the two most basic components of the universe ; matter and energy.

What do some Earth scientist do to study Earth as a system

They combine knowledge of several fields of Earth science in order to study Earth as a system .

A system can also be described as the way that matter and energy are BLANK within the BLANK or to and from BLANK systems

Transferred ; system ; other

cycle

a group of processes in which matter repeatedly moves through a series of reservoirs

atmosphere

a mixture of gasses that surrounds a planet moon or other celestial body

reservoir

a place where matter or energy is stored

magnetosphere

a region of space inside earth's magnetic field

system

a set of particals or interacting components consitered to be distinct physical entity for the purpose of study

open system

a system in which both energy and matter are extanged w/ the surroundings

closed system

a system in which energy , but not matter, is extanged w/ the surroundings

experiment

a test run to prove or to dis prove the hypothisies

hypothisies

a testable idea or statement that leads to scientific investagation

nitrogen and phosphorus cycles are affected by

agriculture

What does the atmosphere provide?

air for us to breathe

parallel

any circle that runs east and west around Earth and that is parallel to the Equator a line of latitude

matter

anything that has mass and takes up space

Which structural zone is made up of mantle rock that flows very slowly?

asthenosphere

carbon cycle

carbo moves through all 4 spheres

CO2

carbon dioxide

core

central part of Earth below the mantle

phosphorus

chemical?

carbon

co2 is nessasary for all living things to be able to function properly

error

expression of the amount of improsition or variation in a set of variables

gravity

force of attraction between all matter in the universe

The Earth system is composed of what that are storehouses of all the planet's matter?

four "spheres"

3% of earth's water is what kind

fresh water

observation

gathering info. using he senses

the decay of radioactive atoms does what

generates enough heat to keep earth's interior hot

another important external source of energy is what

gravitational energy

What form is energy released from the system as?

heat

The amount of time that energy or matter spends in a reservoir can vary from a few BLANK to several BLANK BLANK.

hours; million; years

all natural cycles can be affected by

human activities

Only a fraction of the what kind of atoms in the atmosphere escapes into space?

hydrogen atoms

all of earth's waters make up what sphere

hydrosphere

geosphere

mostly solid rocky part of the earth extends from the center of the core to the surface of the crust

the earth's center is made up of mostly what two metals

nickel and iron

nitrogen is removed from air mainly by what action

nitrogen fixing bacteria or plants

nitrogen cycle

nitrogen moves from air to soil, from soil to plants and animals , and back to air again

the earth is a blank and/or a blank

oblate spheroid or a slightly flattened sphere

water can be found in

oceans,lakes,rivers,streams,creeks,resovires,glaciers,ice,ect

Technically , all systems that make up the Earth system are what ?

open

scientific meathod

organized and logical approches to scientific reasearch

oceanic crust

part of the crust that lies under the oceans

phosphorus cycle

phosphorous moves through every sphere except the atmosphere

the quality of being easily shaped or moded

placitisy

hydrosphere

portion of the earth that is water

subsurface runoff

rain , snow melt that flows into underground streams , rivers ,or canals

surface runoff

rain, snow mealt, or other water that flows into surface streams , rivers or canals

chemical processes that occur in the soil do what

release nitrogen back into the air

nitrogen- fixing bacteria

removes nitrogen from the air to the soil for plants

What do many elements on Earth move between ?

reservoirs

environmental science

retivly new field of earth science that involves the study of the ways humans interact with their environment

the earth is made of mostly blank

rock

97% of earth's water is what kind

salt water

How can each system be described ?

seperatly

scientists expect:

similar forces in siimilar situations will produce similar results

large and complex systems operate as a result of the combination of BLANK , BLANK systems.

smaller, interrelated

science is a part of

society

inner core

solid made of mostly nickel and iron

lithosphere

solid outer layer of Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle

three states of matter on earth

solid, liquid, gas

shape of the earth

sphere

the earth's center is shaped as what

sphere

What form does energy enter the system as?

sunlight

scientist assume

that nature is understandable

scientist expect:

thatt nature is predictable

mesosphere

the "middle sphere" the strong lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core

What is an example of a large and complex system?

the Earth System

energy

the ability to do work

mass

the amount of space that an object takes up

latitude

the angular distance north or south from the equator ; expressed in degrees

What happens through the process of convection?

the energy in earth's interior is transfered through the layers of earth and is released at earth's surface as heat

Dependent variable

the factor that changes as a result of one or more other factors

Independent variable

the factor that is deliberatly manipulated

Newton's law of gravitation

the force of attraction between any two objects depends on the masses of the two objects and the distance between the two objects

convection

the heating of earth ?

carbon cycle is affected by

the human use of fossil fules

mantle

the layer of rock between Earth's crust and core

What does weight depend on?

the mass of the object and how far it is from the earth's center

Water cycle

the movement of water from the atmosphere to earth's surface and back to the atmosphere

biosphere

the part of earth where life exists includes all the living organisms on earth

evaporation

the process in which liquid water becomes water vapor

transpiration

the process in which some of the water within plants is evaporated into the atmosphere

precipitation

the process in which water falls from clouds

accumulation

the process in which water pools in large bodies

condensation

the process in which water vapor turns back to liquid water

drawing conclusions

the result of an experiment

meterology

the scientific study of Earth's atmosphere especially in relation to weather and climate

geology

the scientific study of the origin, history, and the structure of Earth and the processes that shape the Earth

astronomy

the scientific study of the universe

athenosphere

the solid plastic layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere

earth science

the study of the earth and the universe around it

oceanography

the study of the oceans including the movement and properties of ocean water

a system can be described by what

the way that matter and energy are transfered within the system or to and from other systems

the earth is blank planet from the sun

third

Maya:

tracked celestial bodies and created calenders

16 and 17 th centuries:

ushered in deeper investagations w/ the microscope and the telescope

solar radiation does what

warms earth's surface and atmosphere