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