spheres of Earth

Which scenario describes an interaction between two of Earth's spheres?

Bears dig big holes in the ground to protect their young.

Which statement describes an effect that humans have on the geosphere when they build a dam?

Rocks and minerals are used to build the dam.

Which of these can be considered a system? Check all that apply.

a computer a car a coffee maker

Water vapor in the air is part of the

atmosphere

Which sphere protects Earth's surface?

atmosphere

Read the paragraph, and then complete the model. Fossil fuels are substances that can be burned to produce energy. The burning of fossil fuels releases certain gases into the air. These gases combine with other chemicals in the air to form substances called acids. When trees on the top of mountains are exposed to clouds that contain these acids, the acids remove substances from the trees that help the trees fight against harmful insects. Fill in the blanks with the correct sphere names to model how spheres are connected when fossil fuels are burned.

atmosphere to biosphere

A deer is part of the

biosphere

Seaweed belongs to which of Earth's spheres?

biosphere

frogs are apart of the

biosphere

Read the paragraph, and then answer the question. Coal is a black, hard substance formed from the remains of living things that existed a long time ago. The remains were buried and exposed to pressure and temperature underneath Earth's surface. Over time, these remains solidified.

biosphere and geosphere

The Rocky Mountains are part of the

geosphere

sand is a part of the

geosphere

Read the paragraph, and then answer the question. The solid part of Earth is made of huge chunks called plates. These plates sometimes move. When this happens, earthquakes may occur. When earthquakes occur under the ocean, it causes huge waves that carry a lot of energy. These huge waves are called tsunamis. Which spheres interact in the formation of tsunamis? Check all that apply.

geosphere hydrosphere

When a volcano erupts, particles of rock and ash are released into the atmosphere. After this, water droplets form around the rock and ash particles and fall to Earth as rain. The rainwater helps plants grow. In this scenario, which spheres of Earth interact?

geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere

Which feature of Earth is part of the hydrosphere?

glaciers

A lake is part of the

hydrosphere

water is apart of the

hydrosphere

Read about a process that helps shape Earth's surface. Water on Earth's surface seeps into rocks. When water in the cracks freezes, it expands and breaks the rocks apart. This process is called frost wedging. Which spheres interact when this process occurs?

hydrosphere, cryosphere, geosphere

Which part of Earth belongs to the geosphere?

minerals

Which phrase best describes the biosphere?

the organisms in the air, on land, and in the water

Sometimes, the surface of the Pacific Ocean warms up, causing changes in the weather in some areas. This phenomenon is called El Niño. El Niño causes the amount of rainfall in some parts of the United States and South America to increase. It also causes droughts to occur in Southeast Asia and Australia. Droughts occur when an area receives less rain than it normally does over a certain period. Explain how Earth's spheres may be affected by the droughts brought on by El Niño.

Droughts can cause the geosphere to be very dry. Droughts can affect the survival of organisms in the biosphere. Droughts can affect the amount of water in the hydrosphere. Droughts can affect the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere.

Which interaction involves only one of Earth's spheres?

Energy stored in plants is transferred to humans and animals that eat them.

Glaciers and icebergs are part of the

cryosphere

Which part of Earth contains frozen water?

cryosphere

Which part of the diagram shows this interaction?

evaporation