Download The Earth

The Earth
• 1. Geosphere – the solid part of Earth,
rocks, and soils
• 2. Atmosphere – mixture of gases (air)
surrounding Earth
• 3. Hydrosphere – all water on or near the
Earth’s surface
• 4. Biosphere – Layer around Earth where
all life exists.
Geosphere: Compositional Layers
– 1. Crust – thin, outermost layer
– 2. Mantle – made of rocks, 64%
– 3. Core – Inner most layer, very dense
• Goal: To determine how tectonic plates
cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and
tsunamis.
– Steps to reach goal:
• 1. What are tectonic plates?
• 2. What are earthquakes, volcanoes, and
tsunamis?
• 3. Where are they located?
• 4. Can this information help us figure out how
tectonic plates cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and
tsunamis?
Geosphere – Physical Layers
• 1. Lithosphere
– cool, outer layer.
– made up of tectonic plates
– made up of crust, and small upper portion of
mantle
– 15-300 km thick
• 2. Asthenosphere
– plastic solid that moves slowly
– Allows tectonic plates to move
– Made up of a middle layer of mantle
– 250 km thick
Geosphere - Physical Layers
• 3. Mesosphere – “middle sphere”
– Lower layer of the mantle
– 2,550 km thick
Tectonic Plates
• The lithosphere is divided into plates that
move.
• 4. Outer core – liquid layer
– Outer shell of Earth’s core
– 2,200 km thick
• 5. Inner core – solid layer
– Solid nickel and iron
– 1,228 km radius
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Question
• The Atlantic Ocean is spreading at a rate
of 2.5 cm per year. Which continents are
moving closer together?
• Goal: To determine how plate tectonics
cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and
tsunamis.
– Steps to reach goal:
• 1. What is plate tectonics?
• 2. What are earthquakes, volcanoes, and
tsunamis?
• 3. Where are they located?
• 4. Can this information help us figure out how plate
tectonics cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and
tsunamis?
Earthquakes
• A sudden and violent shaking of the ground,
sometimes causing great destruction, as a
result of movements within the earth's crust or
volcanic action.
• Richter scale: measures the energy released
Volcanoes
• What can volcanoes do to the surface
temperature of Earth?
– Clouds of volcanic ash block sunlight
– Causes the average global temperature to
drop
Volcanoes
• Magma – melted rock inside the Earth
• Lava – melted rock outside the Earth
• Volcano
– mountain built from magma
– Produce:
• Mudflow = ash + water
• Pyroclastic material =
cloud of hot ash and rock
Tsunami
• A long high sea wave caused by an
earthquake, volcano, or other disturbance
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• Goal: To determine how plate tectonics
cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and
tsunamis.
– Steps to reach goal:
• 1. What are plate tectonics?
• 2. What are earthquakes, volcanoes, and
tsunamis?
• 3. Where are they located?
• 4. Can this information help us figure out how plate
tectonics cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and
tsunamis?
Earthquakes
• Usually at or near plate boundaries
• A break in the Earth’s crust or slippage along
the tectonic plates cause vibrations
• Richter scale: measures the energy released
Volcanoes
• Volcanoes can form
three ways:
 1. Subduction-one plate
moves under another
plate
 2. Rift zone- plates are
moving away from each
other
3. Hot Spot- source of magma supplied to surface
Ex: Hawaiian islands
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• Goal: To determine how plate tectonics
cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and
tsunamis.
– Steps to reach goal:
• 1. What are plate tectonics?
• 2. What are earthquakes, volcanoes, and
tsunamis?
• 3. Where are they located?
• 4. Can this information help us figure out how plate
tectonics cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and
tsunamis?
How did the Himalaya mountains
form?
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A. erosion
B. convection
C. glacial movements
D. colliding tectonic plates
The molten rock found in the upper
mantle is
Which of the following is not one of
the compositional layers of Earth?
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A. limestone
B. magma
C. granite
D. lava
Mesosphere
Mantle
Inner core
Outer core
Earth’s thin outer compositional
layer is known as the __________
• Most geological activity at the surface of
the Earth takes place at the boundaries
between ___________________.
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