Download The Geopshere part 1

The Dynamic Earth
The Geosphere
The Earth as a
System
The Earth is an integrated system that consists of:
rock
air
water
living systems
The Earth as a
System
Scientists divide Earth into four parts
1. Geosphere (rock)
2. Atmosphere (air)
3. Hydrosphere (water)
4. Biosphere (living things)
Sphere’s of the Earth
The Earth as a
System
The Geosphere consists of all rock, and the soils and
sediments on Earth’s interior
Most of the Geosphere is located in Earth’s interior
The Earth as a
System
The atmosphere is the mixture of gases that make up
the air we breath
78% Nitrogen
21% Oxygen
1% Other gases
The Earth as a
System
The Hydrosphere makes up all of the water on or near
the Earth’s surface
Much of Earth’s water is in the oceans which covers
three-quarters of the globe
Water is also found in the atmosphere, land, and soil
The Earth as a
System
Biosphere is made up of
geosphere
atmosphere
hydrosphere
Biosphere is were living things exists and is the thinnest
layer of Earth’s structure
Discovering Earth’s
Interior
The deepest well that has been drilled into the Earth is
only 12 km deep, which is not deep enough to study
beneath the surface
Scientist use seismic waves to study Earth’s interior
Seismic Waves
Discovering Earth’s
Interior
The Earth’s Composition is divide into three layers
the crust
the mantle
the core
Composition of the Earth
Discovering Earth’s
Interior
The materials that make up these layers get denser or
thicker when you get close to the core
the crust is made up of light elements and makes up
less than 1% of the Earth’s mass.
6.6% Oxygen (O)
27.7% Silicon (Si)
8.1% Aluminum (Al)
5.0% Iron (Fe)
3.6% Calcium (Ca)
2.8% Sodium (Na)
2.6% Potassium (K)
2.1% Magnesium (Mg)
Discovering Earth’s
Interior
The mantle which is beneath the crust makes up 64% of
Earth’s mass
It’s composed of rocks of medium density
Discovering Earth’s
Interior
Earth’s innermost layer is the core which is composed of
the densest elements.
Iron
Nickel
Discovering Earth’s
Interior
The structure of the Earth is divide into five layers
lithosphere - outer layer
includes the crust and uppermost part of the mantle (tectonic
plates)
asthenosphere
Plastic, solid layer of the mantle made of rock that flows slowly
and allows tectonic plates to move
Discovering Earth’s
Interior
Mesosphere - lower part of the mantle
Outer core - is a dense liquid layer
Inner core - is a dense solid layer made of nickel and iron
Plate Tectonics
The lithosphere is divide into pieces called tectonic plates.
Plates glide across the asthenosphere like a chunk of ice
gliding across a pond
The continents are located on these plates and move
around with them
Plates may separate from each other, collide with one
another, or slip past one another
Plate Tectonics
The forces produced at the boundaries of tectonic plates
can cause mountains to form, earthquakes, and volcanic
eruptions
Many mountains such as the Himalaya Mountains were
formed from tectonics plates colliding