Download 1. What are the four branches of earth? -Geology

1. What are the four branches of earth?
-Geology
-Study earths crust, finding natural resources.
(coal, gas, oil, iron, copper, gems)
-Study forces within the earth.
(EQ, volcanoes)
-Fossils.
-Oceanography
-¾ of earth is oceans.
-Explore earth’s ocean floor.
-Study marine plant and animal life,
-Study waves, tides and currents.
-Meteorology
Study atmosphere and its different conditions.
Study weather-wind speed, temperature and rainfall.
Use of satellites, radar and other atmospheric technology.
-Study maps, images and computer data to forecast weather.
-Astronomy
Study of space, planets, stars, galaxies, moons and the universe.
Use of telescopes, space probes and satellites.
2. How are Earth and Ecology related?
Geosphere studies the solid earth.
Hydrosphere studies the earths waters.
Atmosphere studies the earth’s gases surrounding earth.
Ecosystem is the abiotic and biotic organisms that inhabit the different
communities in their environments.
Biosphere is the largest ecosystem that encompasses all life on earth and the
physical environment that supports it. The biosphere extends from the ocean
depths to the atmosphere a few kilometers above the earth’s surface.
3. How might the study of earth science contribute to the survival of the biosphere?
-By studying the physical world of the geosphere, earth scientists can help us avoid
environmental disasters that threaten the biosphere.
4. Give an example of an ecosystem and explain how it is self-supporting?
Rain forest:
-Rain in forest will enable plants to grow, plants make food through photosynthesis
capturing sunlight to make sugar for the plants.
- Herbivore animals in the rain forest eat the plants; gain energy from the plant
consumption.
-Carnivore animals in the rain forest eat other animals, which gain energy from
eating meat organisms.
Desert:
Plant organisms survive living in the desert by holding water inside them despite
the heat. Ex: cactus
Plants survive in the desert; use the sun to make photosynthesis.
-Organisms that are small live in the desert consume the plants for energy.
-Organisms consume other meat organisms to gain energy to live.
Ocean,
Photosynthetic plankton marine life lives in the water through photosynthesis,
which enable marine organisms to consume for food for energy.
-Marine organisms consume other marine organisms for food to gain energy to live.
Environmental Pollution:
-When the fragile ecosystem becomes unbalanced the survival of the entire
biosphere is threatened. Pollution is a major threat to any ecosystem. Pollution can
be a contamination of the environment with waste products or impurities.
Some waste products are biodegradable, meaning they can be broken down by
microorganisms and made into harmless substances that can then be used by other
organisms. These are not a threat to the environment.
When waste is not biodegradable it can be very harmful to the ecosystem. Examples
are plastic containers that are not broken down and can harm the environment and
the organisms that get entangled in the plastic.
When pollution is chemically damaging in the atmosphere, scientists and ecologists
are needed to help balance the environment.
Scientific Method:
Scientific Method is a logical approach to scientific research. These are guides to
scientific problem solving.
The sequence is…
1. State the problem (observation)
2. Gather information (what information do you need to understand more)
3. Hypothesis (what statement can you formulate from your observation)
4. Test (conduct an experiment)
5. Record and Analyze your data
6. Conclusion (state whether your findings support or negate your hypothesis)
7. Prove your work
Finding locations on Earth
Earth has a north pole and a south pole; halfway between these poles is the equator.
North/South is divided into segments called latitude, which is measured in
degrees. Full circle is 360 degrees.
The distance between the pole and the equator is ¼ of 360 degrees so it is
equivalent to 90 degrees.
Above the equator is north and below is south.
Each degree of latitude consists of 60 equal parts called minutes. Each minute is
divided into 60 equal parts called seconds. Using degrees, minutes and seconds, the
latitude of Washington DC is 38 degrees, 53 minutes, 51 seconds.
Longitude of a particular place indicates only its position east or west called
meridians. Each meridian is a semicircle running from pole to pole.
In international agreement, one meridian was selected to be 0 degrees. This is
called the meridian, the prime meridian, which passes through Greenwich, England.
Longitude is measured in degrees east or west of the prime meridian. If the
locations are east of the prime meridian it is a degree of between 0-180 degrees. If
the location is west of the prime meridian it is a degree of between 0-180 degrees.
The great circle is often used in navigation; it divides the globe into halves of North
and south divided by the equator, and halves east and west divided by the prime
meridian, which are used in routes in air and sea.
Reading and interpreting topographic maps show the surface features or
topography of the earth.
What is latitude and longitude,
and how do you use it?
Topographic maps show elevation or height above of below sea level, which sea
level is a level of zero.
Contour lines are used to show elevation on topographic maps. Each contour line
connects all points on the map that have the same elevation. The shape of a contour
line reflects the shape of the land.
Contour intervals are the difference in elevation between one contour line and the
next. A cartographer chooses a contour interval suited to the size of the map and
relief of the land.. Relief is the difference in elevation between the highest and
lowest points of the area being mapped.
If the contour interval is 10 m then each line would be 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and so on.
If there is more space between the contour lines this indicates that the change in
elevation is gradual. If the space between the contour lines are close than the
change in elevation is rapid the slope is steep.
Contour lines that bend to form a V shape indicate a valley, with the V pointing
toward the higher end of the valley. The V always points in the direction of moving
water. Water always flows from higher to lower elevation. The steeper the course
of water the closer together the contour lines.
Contour lines that form closed loops indicate a hilltop or depression. Depression
marked with short straight lines.
1 Which is higher, hill A or hill B?
2 Which is steeper, hill A or hill B?
3 How many feet of elevation are there between contour lines?
4 How high is hill A?
5 How high is hill B?
6 Are the contour lines closer together on hill A or hill B?
1. _____ geocentric
2. _____ Kepler
3. _____ heliocentric
4. _____ constellation
5. _____ the Sun
6. _____ Hubble
7. _____ hydrogen
8. _____ spectra
9. _____ Copernicus
10._____ nebula
away from us
A. the most abundant element (atom) in the universe
B. the “star” in the middle of our solar system
C. he formed three law’s of planetary motion
D. a cloud of dust and gas in space
E. the idea that the sun is the center of the solar system
F. he developed a model of a sun-centered solar system
G. a pattern of stars in the sky
H. color that is emitted by a certain wavelength of light
I. the idea that the earth is the center of the universe
J. he developed a law that other galaxies are moving
ASTRONOMY:
Isaac Newton observed the passing of sunlight through a glass prism creating colors.
We found that sunlight is radiated to earth in wavelengths, with different colors or
spectra having different lengths of waves as it reaches earth that plants receive.
A shift in wavelength of energy emitted by an energy source moving to or away is
called the Doppler effect.
Elements found in our atmosphere are made up of different chemicals and when
heated can also create a spectra of colors.
Spectroscopes were used to determine the elements the stars were made of.
The sun is made up of 92% hydrogen. Since stars were shifting toward the red end
of the spectrum which showed galaxies in the universe moving away from earth. If a
star is shifting toward the blue end of the spectrum then it would show them
moving toward the earth. This enabled scientists to measure speed of movements
in space and determine that the universe is expanding.
These findings of the red shift, led to the hypothesis of the discovery of the big bang
theory that the universe was once much smaller single point that has continued to
expand with time.
People contributors to astronomy understanding:
Tacho Brahe:
Was a scientist that believed that the universe was heliocentric meaning the earth
and other planets orbit the sun.
Nic Copernicus:
Scientist that suggested that the Sun was the center of the solar system,
Heliocentric.
Aristotle and Ptolemy:
Believed that the earth was the center of the universe and all planets and the sun revolve
around it, this is called geocentric.
Kepler:
Was a scientist that believed the earth was heliocentric, the earth is also on an
elliptical path in the universe.
His 3 laws were about this path in the universe;
Kepler's three laws of planetary motion can be described as follows:
1. The path of the planets about the sun is elliptical in shape, with the center of the
sun being located at one focus. (The Law of Ellipses)
2. An imaginary line drawn from the center of the sun to the center of the planet will
sweep out equal areas in equal intervals of time. (The Law of Equal Areas)
3. The ratio of the squares of the periods of any two planets is equal to the ratio of
the cubes of their average distances from the sun. (The Law of Harmonies)
Earth:
Only known planet to support life.
This means we have liquid water, and oxygen.
Earth is a sphere, however the earth’s center near the equator has a larger bulge due
to the spinning of the earth.
-Earth’s atmosphere is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen.
-3/4 of earth is covered by water of which 97% of the water is salt, with 3% of
earths fresh water in the glaciers, rivers, lakes and polar ice sheets.
-Earth’s interior is measured by seismic waves (vibrations that travel through
earth); the seismic waves are primary and secondary; known as p and s waves.
P waves travel through liquid, solids and gases and are fastest waves.
S waves travel only through solids and are slower waves.
Earth’s interior is made up of 3 zones:
The crust: covers the earths exterior and has 1% of the earths mass.
The mantle: lies beneath the crust and makes up 2/3 of earth’s mass. This layer is
divided into two layers the lithosphere that is solid, and the asthenosphere, which is
below the mantle. This layer is very hot and has plasticity.
The center core: is 1/3 of earth’s mass. The core is made up of two layers the inner
and outer core. The outer core is a liquid dense layer, and the inner core is solid
made mostly of iron.
The earth has a magnetic core that is made up of iron-which is a good conductor of
electricity) and leaves earth with a magnetic radiated field around the earth.
Isaac Newton studied gravity, which is the force of attraction that exists between all
matters in the universe. Newton described the effects of gravity in his law of
gravitation. This law states that the force of attraction between any two objects
depends upon their masses and the distance between them. The larger the masses
of two objects and the closer together they are, the greater will be the force of
gravity between them.
As the earth spins on its axis, this motion causes the earth to bulge out slightly
near the equator. Therefore, the distance between the earth’s surface and its
center is greater at the equator than it is at the poles.
THE MOVEMENTS OF EARTH:
The earth is constantly in motion. The movement of earth around the sun is called
revolution. Each complete revolution takes 365.24 days, or one year.
As it revolves around the sun, the earth also spins on its axis. This spinning motion
is called rotation. Each complete rotation takes about 24 hours, or one day.
Rotation of Earth:
The observable effects of the earth’s rotation on its axis are day and night. As the
earth rotates from west to east, the sun appears to rise in the east in the morning. It
travels across the sky and sets in the west. This equates to daytime when the
hemisphere faces the sun, and nighttime when the earth faces away from the sun.
Revolving of Earth:
The earth’s orbit, or path around the sun, is slightly elliptical (oval shaped). Because
of this the earth is not always the same distance from the sun. It is called perihelion
(Jan 3rd) when the earth is closer to the sun, and aphelion when the earth is farthest
from the sun. (July 3rd). When the North Pole is tilted toward the sun there is more
daylight in the northern hemisphere, and the South Pole has less daylight hours.
When the South Pole is pointed to the sun, the northern hemisphere has less
daylight hours and the southern hemisphere has more daylight hours.
Seasons:
The changes in the angles at which the sun’s rays strike the earth’s surface and
changes in the amount of daylight cause the seasons.
Solstice:
The earth’s orbit has different times of the year where the sun strikes the earth at an
exact 90-degree angle. This is June 21, and it marks the beginning of summer, so its
called summer solstice.
In December the earth is halfway through its orbit, and the sun’s rays strike the
earth at a 90 angle, it is also the least number of daylight hours and it is called
winter solstice on Dec 21st.
Equinox:
On September 23rd the sun’s rays strike the earth at a 90 degree angle along the
equator, this is called autumnal equinox marking the beginning of fall. Equinox
means equal night referring to equal hours of daylight and nighttime hours.
On March 23rd the suns rays strike the earth at a 90 degree angle along the equator
and this day marks the beginning of spring, spring equinox, in the northern
hemisphere.
Precession:
As the earth revolves around the sun, its axis of rotation continuously points toward
Polaris, the North Star. Forces acting on a spinning body cause precession. Forces
acting on a spinning body, a gravitational pull exerted on the rotating earth by the
moon, the sun, and the other planets, cause precession. Precession causes the
earth’s axis to move slowly in a circle, much like a top does as it spins on a table.
Earth’s full circle takes 26, 000 years to complete.
Measuring time:
When the sun is at its highest point in the sky it is 12pm noon. Because of the suns
movements from east to west the sun will appear at different locations throughout
the day and that will be that locations 12 pm noon because of its highest location in
the sky at that location. This allows for different time zones across the world. This
creates 24 different times zones. Clocks are set one hour ahead for each time zone
traveled east, or one hour less for each time zone when traveling west.
This created the International Date Line.
Artificial satellites:
Any object in orbit around another body with a larger mass. This includes moons
and global computerized technology units.
Our universe has terrestrial (land) planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars and Earth) and
gas planets, which start after the asteroid belt (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and
Pluto)
Earth’s galaxy is known as the milky way;
Parts of
the Earth
Purpose: To identify and describe the Earth’s 4 systems. To identify and
describe the 5 branches of Earth Science.
Part I: Create a Foldable
1. Turn your construction paper horizontally (landscape).
2. Fold each side towards the middle (3 inch flaps)
3. Make marks on your flaps at the following points:
a. 2 ¼ inches
b. 4 ½ inches
c. 6 ¾ inches
4. Cut the flaps all the way to the crease at those 3 marks (do this on
both sides).
5. On the flaps write the following terms:
Biosphere
Astronomy
Geosphere
Geology
Atmosphere
Meteorology
Hydrosphere
Oceanography
6. On the inside of the flap, answer the questions that are on the back
of this sheet. On the inside of the foldable, draw your pictures.
7. On the back of your foldable, write the word “Earth Science” and
write a description of the word. Also, don’t forget to put your name on
the back of your foldable.
Branches of Earth Science: (pages 2 – 4) (right flaps)
(Astronomy, Geology, Meteorology, Oceanography)
1. Give a description of what each branch studies.
2. Draw a picture next to each branch that represents it.
The Hydrosphere
(pages 8, 158-159)
1. Give a description of the word.
2. Draw a picture that represents the water cycle.
3. Write the following statement in your foldable & fill in the blanks:
_______ % of the earth’s water is salt water & ______% of the earth’s water
is fresh water. Most freshwater is found in __________. The rest is found in
________, ________, & _______. (There are more than just 3 choices, only choose 3).
The Atmosphere
(8, 477, 480)
1. Give a description of the word.
2. Draw a picture that represents the different layers of the atmosphere. Label the
layer that is the most dense.
3. Write the following statement in your foldable & fill in the blanks:
The atmosphere helps the earth and it’s inhabitants by _____________,
______________, & ___________________. 99% of the earth’s
atmosphere is made of ______ and _______.
The Geosphere
(8)
1. Give a description of the word.
2. Draw & label a picture of the earth showing these parts.
3. Write the following statement in your foldable & fill in the blanks.
The three parts of the geosphere are the ________ (which is mostly made
of _______), the _________ (which is mostly made of ______), & the
__________ (which is mostly made of _________). The lithosphere is
found in the _________ and the aesthenosphere is found
______________.
The Biosphere
(8, 477, 480)
1. Give a description of the word.
2. Where is the biosphere found – finish the sentence: “The biosphere extends from
the ____ to the _____.” The following spheres are a part of the biosphere:
________, ________, & __________.
3. Draw a picture that represents at least 3 types of organisms that can be found in
the biosphere.
Astronomy Unit Study Guide
1. _____ geocentric
2. _____ Kepler
3. _____ heliocentric
4. _____ constellation
5. _____ the Sun
6. _____ Hubble
7. _____ hydrogen
8. _____ spectra
A. the most abundant element (atom) in the universe
B. the “star” in the middle of our solar system
C. he formed three law’s of planetary motion
D. a cloud of dust and gas in space
E. the idea that the sun is the center of the solar system
F. he developed a model of a sun-centered solar system
G. a pattern of stars in the sky
H. color that is emitted by a certain wavelength of light
9. _____ Copernicus
10._____ nebula
away from us
I. the idea that the earth is the center of the universe
J. he developed a law that other galaxies are moving
11. Place the following cosmic objects in order from smallest to largest:
star, planet, constellation, moon, universe, asteroid, solar system
galaxy,
12. In what part of the Milky Way Galaxy is our solar system located?
13. Make a simple sketch of the electromagnetic spectrum & label the following
parts: radio waves, gamma rays, visible light (ROYGBV), high energy, low energy, long
waves, short waves
14. Define:
Hubble’s Law Red shift Blue shift Big Bang Theory - (not the TV show)
15. Briefly describe the steps of how our solar system formed according to the
nebular hypothesis. (Use the following terms in your description: gravity,
accretion, nebula.)
16. What is the reason for Earth’s seasons? How long does it take the Earth to
orbit the sun once?
17. Define:
Equinox Solstice -
18. List & explain Kepler’s 3 Laws of Planetary Motion.
1.
2.
3.
19. Define:
Ellipse -
Barycenter Precession Nutation Revolution Rotation 20. The earth’s shape is NOT a perfect sphere. It is flat near the poles and wider at
the equator. Explain why it formed this way.
21. The word “nuclear” means having to do with the nucleus of an atom. Use the
word bank to complete the chart:
type
how it works
where it takes place how much energy
released
Nuclear
Fusion
Nuclear
Fission
Word Bank:
tons of energy
atoms coming together
one atom splitting
middle of a star
nuclear reactor on earth
two
tons of energy
in the
(Honors only) 23. An astronomical unit (AU) is the distance from the sun to the
earth. One AU equals 149,000,000,000 meters. Write this number using scientific
notation.