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THE PHYSICAL WORLD
Why Does It Matter?
• Understanding that __________ is part of a larger physical system called the _________ system which
helps us understand how ______________ on our _____________ is possible
• Earth’s ____________ systems---air, landforms & water---are affected by natural ____________ such as
________________ & _____________ that can influence human activities on the planet
• The Physical World is basically “Physical ___________” but in Geography we use it differently
PLANET EARTH (Section 1)
• Earth (or the Earth) is the _______ planet from the _______, the densest & fifth-largest of the
__________ planets in the Solar System
• It is also the _____________ of the Solar System's four _____________ planets & sometimes
referred to as the world or the _________ Planet
• The planet is home to ___________ of species including __________ (some smart & some not so smart)
• ___________ interacts with other objects in ___________, especially the _________ & the ________
• At present, Earth ___________ (revolves) the Sun once every 366.26 times it rotates about its own axis,
which is equal to ____________ days (leap year)
• Earth formed ________ billion years ago & life appeared on its surface within one _______ years (HOW?)
The “Big Bang Theory”
• First proposed by Georges Lemaître, the Big Bang theory is the prevailing ___________ model that explains
the early ____________ of the ___________
• According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely ________ & _________ state
which _____________ (opposite of shrinking) rapidly
• This rapid expansion caused the __________ to __________ & resulted in its present continuously
____________ state approximately ___________ billion years ago which is thus considered the age
of the Universe
• According to the theory, after its ___________ expansion the Universe would have __________
sufficiently to allow ___________ to be converted into various subatomic particles, including _________,
_____________ & _____________
• While protons & neutrons would have ____________ to form the first atomic _________ only a few
minutes after the Big Bang, it would then have taken thousands of years for ___________ to combine
with them & create electrically neutral ___________
• The first _________ produced would then be ___________, along with traces of helium & lithium
• ____________ clouds of these elements would form _____________ & _____________
• The Big Bang is a well-developed scientific __________ which is widely accepted within the scientific
_____________ because it offers an _____________ & comprehensive ______________ for a broad
range of phenomena that ______________ observe
• Since its conception, abundant __________ has arisen to further develop & ___________ the ________
Our Solar System
• The Solar System consists of the ______ & the ________ bound in _______ around it, all of which formed
from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud (Big Bang Theory) approximately 4.6 billion years ago
• The vast majority of the system's _______ is in the ______ which comprises nearly all the _________ in
the Solar System & is composed of roughly 98% ____________ & __________
• The __________ is the Solar System's ___________ & by far its chief _____________
• Sun is an enormous ________ of burning ___________ that’s large mass creates a strong pull of
____________, this keeps the Earth & other planets ______________ around it
• Of the many objects that _________ the Sun, most of the mass is contained within eight relatively solitary
____________ whose orbits are almost ___________ & lie within a nearly flat disc called the
____________ plane (circular)
•
The _________ were the first to come up with the notion of _______ & how it pertained to the planets &
the universe (good but wrong)
• The Greek philosophers __________ who taught __________ who taught ____________ were
philosophical teachers who attempt to explain the universe on the basis of unifying principles
(eliminated the gods as reasons things happen)
Socrates (469-399 B.C.)
• He left no ___________ but we know about him from his __________ (most famous is Plato)
• He was a ___________ but his true love was _____________ (he taught but for no pay—goals of education
is to improve the individual)
• The “_______________” employs a __________ & ____________ technique to lead pupils to see
things for themselves using their own ___________
• He believed that all real ____________ is within each person & we only need critical ____________
to call it forth
• He was concerned with ______________ & he loved definition of ____________ & __________
• He would __________ out from a building & grab you & ask, "What do you mean by __________?"
• He felt there was a link between ___________ & ___________, ignorance & evil & believed the most
satisfying life is a __________, __________ one
• His _____________ of ____________ & public demonstrations of others’ lack of knowledge led him
into trouble
• He was accused & convicted of __________ the youth of Athens by his teaching & ___________ to
__________ by the Athenian authority (drink poison)
Plato (429-347 B.C.)
• Plato was one of ___________ students & considered by many scholars the __________ philosopher (& a
_______________) of Western Civilization who unlike Socrates, Plato ________ a great deal
• He opened a school called the ___________ where students came to him instead of the old way of him trying
to _________ students
• What did Plato believe? He was similar to Socrates on _________ & ___________ for the good of life but
he also talked a lot about creation & ___________ government
• What does Plato say on creation? (You'll be sorry you asked)
• He said there was ______ god in the beginning who had great ________ on what he wanted & a bunch
of raw material lying around
• What gave life to the raw material was that they included in their being part of the original
____________ of the god that made them (people are raw material plus little bits & pieces of the
original ideas of god)
• _________ people have _________ of the bits & pieces & dumber people of course have ________
• Plato's students _______ pick his idea up very well (say huh?) & they asked him how he knew that was
__________
• Plato says that your "________" knew everything about the universe before it was ______
(remember it was in god's mind), but that when you were born everything was ___________
out so you had to ______________ it
• You're not learning something _________; you're just ___________ something you can't
remember (Say double huh???)
Aristotle
• Aristotle was a big student of ________ who couldn't quite see Plato's ideas on creation & they quarreled
• He broke from Plato & went back to _____________ where he tutored ___________ the _________
o He said that _________ were __________ & _________ inferior & that slaves, children & women
would run amuck if not led by the ______-types
o But!!!! He only studied the Greeks & a small sample at that so, of course, _____ look stupid cuz in the
Greek culture they weren't allowed to do ____________ but have kids
Aristotle was also a ___________ in other stuff
He was interested in _____________ but he didn't have a ____________ (cuz it hadn't been
invented yet) so his ____________ are a little off
He said the world was _____________ ("earth-centered") & the earth was the __________ of the universe
& everything spins around it except for some fixed __________
• Things stay out there cuz they are held by invisible ________
• Unfortunately, Aristotle was a great man & people ____________ to him & _________ he was right–
for hundreds of _________
• He said ___________ have less _________ than men cuz they have smaller _______ but he didn't
bother to count & experiment
• He just _________ that women have smaller heads & therefore smaller jaws so they can't
hold all the teeth that men have (There's a trick to it–women have smaller teeth!)
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Copernicus & The Scientific Revolution (1550-1789)
• A small group of ___________ began to question the geocentric __________ (Did not accurately explain the
_____________ of the sun, moon, & planets)
• Nicolaus Copernicus, a _______ astronomer, studied planetary movement & was _________ by the theory
• _____________ Theory - his theory was that the _______ was the center of the universe & that the stars,
__________, & other planets ___________ around it
• He knew that the ___________ leaders would reject his theory because it did not follow religious
___________, but in 1543, he published a book “On the Revolutions of Heavenly Bodies” that
explained his ________ (He was right)
Planets
• ____________ or celestial bodies that ____________ around the _________
• All planets _____________ Mercury & Venus have ___________ (smaller spheres that orbit them)
• ________ planets & _______ dwarf planets (What’s the difference?)
• A celestial body that is (a) in _______ around the Sun, (b) has sufficient _______ for its self-gravity
to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape & (c)
has cleared the neighbourhood around its ________
• Under this _______________, the Solar System is considered to have ______ planets
• ___________ which fulfill the first two conditions but not the _________ (such as Pluto, Makemake
and Eris) are classified as ________ planets
• ____________ Planets - Planets w/ solid, rocky crusts (Mercury, Venus, Earth, & Mars)
• Gas _________ Planets - more gaseous & less _________ than the terrestrial planets, but are larger in
____________ (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)
• Dwarf ___________ - small round bodies that _____ the Sun (Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake & Eris)
Asteroids
• Small, _____________ shaped planet-like objects that ____________ around the sun
• Asteroid _____________ - where __________ asteroids are (Mars & Jupiter)
• Few asteroids follow paths that cross _____________ orbit except for Asteroid Apophis
• ___________ it will pass close to Earth (18,600 miles from Earth)
• ___________ it will again approach but this time pass closer with a 3% chance that the Earths
gravitational field pulling it to Earth itself (ending civilization---just like the dinosaurs)
Comets
• Made of ________ dust particles & frozen __________ it is an icy small Solar System body (SSSB) that,
when close enough to the Sun, displays a ________ “coma” (a thin, fuzzy, temporary atmosphere) & which
sometimes look like big ____________ balls w/ long, feathery tails
• Orbits are inclined at all _____________ to Earth’s orbit & may approach from any ___________
Meteoroids
• A meteoroid is a sand- to boulder-sized particle of debris (rock or iron) in the Solar System
• They occasionally they enter the Earth’s atmosphere but friction burns most of them up before they reach
Earth’s surface (called a shooting star)
Meteorites
• Meteorites are ___________ that ____________ with the Earth
• Strikes can affect the ____________ leaving craters & causing other ______________
• In 1908, in _________ (Russia) a huge area of _______ was flattened & burned by a “mysterious fireball”
Water, Land, & Air
• Hydrosphere
• ______ of Earth’s surface is _______
• Oceans, lakes, rivers, & other bodies of water
• Lithosphere
• ______ of the Earth’s surface is ________
• Continents, islands, & ocean basins
• Atmosphere
• A layer of _________ above the Earth’s surface
• _______ nitrogen, ______ oxygen & small amounts of argon and other gases
• Biosphere
• Part of Earth that __________ animal & plant _______ (the part we live in/on)
Landforms
• Natural ______________ on the Earth’s ____________ including bodies of water
• Landforms are categorised by characteristic ___________ attributes such as elevation, __________,
orientation, ________________, rock exposure & ____________ type
• _____________ landforms are as ___________ as those on dry land, including underwater mountain ranges,
cliffs, valleys, & ___________ trenches
Continents
• _________ large land masses all connected _________ Australia & Antarctica
• North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, & Antarctica
Important Places
• Mt. Everest
– ___________ point on Earth in South Asia
– 29,035 feet above sea level
• Dead Sea
– ___________ dry point on Earth
– Shore is 1349 feet below sea level (hot & salty)
FORCES OF CHANGE (Section 2)
• The Earth’s ____________ & ___________ structure, including the tectonic plates is responsible for the
____________ of the continents, oceans & mountain ranges
• The Earth is filled with intense __________ & __________ which drive these changes & can disrupt & often
destroy ___________ life
Layers Of The Earth
• ________ – outermost layer of Earth
• ________ – middle layer of Earth
•
________ – very center of Earth that is super hot (2 parts)
• Outer Core
• Inner Core
Pangea
• 500 to 300 million years ago the continents were one large “__________ continent”
• Over millions of years the super continent ___________ about into smaller continents & __________ away
from each other
• Continental Drift - the _________ that the continents were once joined & slowly __________ apart
• The current continents can be almost configured into a _____________ pieces
• Continents move almost _______ feet per century (100 years)---1 mile = 5,280 feet---3,400 miles to
Europe
• 50 per 1,000, 500 per 10,000, 5,000 per 100,000, 50,000 per 1 million, 15,000,000 per 300 million,
25,000,000 per 500 million===4,734 miles
Continental Shelf
• An underwater ____________ of the “coastal __________” (flat area next to the _____________) which
slopes out from the land as much as 800 miles
• Continental _______ - the sharp ___________- from the continental shelf to the ocean _________
Plate Tectonics
• All the ___________ processes that create many of the Earth’s ___________ features
• Plates ___________ around have made Earth’s largest features such as ___________, oceans, _________
& mountain ranges
• __________ movement is constantly __________ the face of the planet by pushing up or down & sliding or
grinding past _________ other
Internal Forces Of Change
• _________ & Spreading Plates
• Folds & _________
• Earthquakes
• __________ Eruptions
Subduction (C & S)
• The _________ sea plate _________ beneath the ___________ continental plate (subduction zone)
• The sea plate becomes _________ material then ________ through the crust to form volcanic mountains
• Subduction zones are often noted for their high rates of _________, earthquakes & mountain _________
Accretion (C & S)
• Pieces of the Earth’s crust come _________ slowly as the sea plate ________ under the continental plate
• This movement levels off seamounts, underwater mountains with steep sides & sharp peaks & piles up the
resulting debris in ____________
• The buildup can cause _____________ to grow _____________
Spreading (C & S)
• The result of sea plates ________ apart (builds undersea _________ mountains & some islands---Hawaii)
Folds & Faults
• Folds - moving plates sometimes _____________ the Earth’s surface until it _________ or bends
• Faults - Plates may _________ or _________ past one another, creating _________ in the Earth’s surface
• San ___________ Fault in California (_____________ prone)
•
Faulting - occurs when the ___________ land can’t bend any further & the Earth’s crust ___________ &
breaks into huge __________
• The blocks move along in different __________ grinding against each other which results in
small/minor “__________” (hardly noticeable earthquake)
Earthquakes
• Sudden _________ of tectonic ________ along a fault _____ that can change land surface & the ocean floor
• __________ builds up along fault lines as plates _________ & when the strain becomes so intense that the
rocks shift & ___________ suddenly
• The ground releases stored up __________, making the ___________ that earthquakes are known for
• “Pacific __________ of Fire” - an area where a large number of ___________ & volcanic ____________
occur in the basin of the ____________ Ocean
• Has ______ volcanoes & is home to over _______ of the world's active & dormant volcanoes
• About _______ of the world's earthquakes & _______ of the world's largest earthquakes occur along the
Ring of Fire
Volcanic Eruptions
• Volcanoes are __________ that are formed by _______ or _______ that breaks through the Earth’s crust
• The rocky plate ________ as it dives down into the ________ mantle & if the molten rock is too ________
it blocks the flow & pressure __________ until it is too much to handle
• Clouds of _________ & _________ may shoot upward creating a funnel for the magma to rush through
• In some places __________ rock heats underground _________ sources causing hot springs or __________
External Forces Of Change
• _____________
• Wind Erosion
• ___________ Erosion
• Water Erosion
Weathering
• __________ Weathering
• Occurs when large masses of rock are ____________ broken down into __________ rocks
• __________ seeps into the cracks in rocks & __________ & when it freezes, it expands &
_________ the rocks into smaller ones
• ____________ Weathering
• Changes the ____________ makeup of rocks
• Rain water that contains carbon ________ from the air can _________ certain rocks such as
limestone
• Many __________ are made by this process
Wind Erosion
• Movement of ________, __________, & ___________ from one place to another
• The ___________ of plants help prevent wind erosion b/c they keep the ___________ in place (Dust Bowl)
Glacial
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Erosion
When huge sheets of __________ (glaciers) move across the Earth’s ___________
Can destroy _____________, mountaintops, & change _________ flow
____________ - when glaciers melt they leave piles of rocks & debris
__________ lakes - form when water gets trapped within the __________ of moraines (_________ Lakes)
__________ Glaciers - flat broad __________ of ice (most of Greenland & Antarctica)
Mountain Glaciers - located high in the ___________ & form large U shaped _______ as they move downhill
EARTH’S WATER (Section 3)
• The amount of _________on the Earth remains fairly constant & _______ in what we call the “Hydrological”
or “__________” Cycle (not Halloween H2O---but water)
• There is an infinite supply of ___________ water because it comes from the _________ & ________ itself
but we can still run out before it renews
Water Erosion
• Erosion is when the ___________ of the earth is constantly being ___________ away
• __________ Erosion is when __________ & spring water flow downhill in _________, cutting or grinding
away at the land & __________ down rock
• All running water __________ & ___________ particles of soil or fragments of rock (formed by
weathering) & every stream carries, in suspension (floating in the water) or rolling along its bottom,
___________ received from its tributaries or detached from its own __________
• These transported particles strike against the __________ of the stream channel, literally grinding it
away & eventually settle out along the channel or find their way to the __________
• The ___________ action can eventually lead to __________ & canyons (_________ Canyon)
• __________ Erosion (Shoreline Erosion) - occurs from __________ beating at the coastline & eroding
_______ into sandy ____________ (primarily occurs through the action of currents & waves but sea level
(tidal) change can also play a role)
• The greatest way to ____________ eroded land is very simple: ____________
• ___________ grow & colonize creating deep _______ systems protecting the soil from water in its
various forms
Water
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Cycle
The _____________ movement of water on, above, & below the __________ of the Earth
Water can change states among ________, vapor & ___________ at various places in the water cycle
Although the balance of water on Earth remains fairly __________ over time, individual water molecules can
come & go, in & out of the ____________
The water moves from one ____________ to another, such as from _________ to ocean, or from the ocean
to the __________, by the physical processes of accumulation, ___________, condensation, precipitation, ,
runoff, subsurface runoff & _____________
• In so doing, the water goes through different ____________: liquid, solid & gas
The water cycle involves the ____________ of __________ energy (sun), which leads to temperature
changes & an influence on ___________
• For instance, in the process of __________, water takes up energy from the surroundings & _______
the environment
Conversely, in the process of condensation, water ___________ energy to its surroundings, ___________
the environment
The water cycle figures significantly in the maintenance of _________ & ______________ on Earth
• Even as water in each reservoir plays an important role, the water cycle brings added significance to
the presence of water on our ____________
By ____________ water from one reservoir to another, the water cycle __________ water, replenishes the
land with ______________ & transports minerals to different parts of the __________
Here is how it Works!!!!
The ___________ heats the Oceans, lakes, rivers, streams & other bodies of ___________ water. The
heated water ____________ (liquid to gas) into the air then ____________ (gas to liquid) into the
formation of clouds. When the clouds get too heavy the burst dropping ___________ (rain, snow, sleet). The
rainwater returns & _______________ to the waterways as ____________ or absorbed by the ground
(aquifers) as ___________-surface runoff. Water is also lost as water vapor from parts of plants (similar
to sweating), especially in leaves but also in stems, flowers & roots in a process called _____________.
______ main steps (Evaporation, Condensation, & Precipitation)
Oceans
• ___________ of Earth’s water is in oceans
• Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, & Artic
• __________ Ocean - covers more area than all the Earth’s ________ combined & is also deep enough in some
spots to cover Mt. ____________
• The Pacific Ocean is 64.1 million square miles or _______ of the Earths water surface
Seas,
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Gulfs, & Bays
Bodies of _______ water that are smaller than ____________
Often partially ____________ by land
Mediterranean _______ - one of the worlds largest seas, almost completely enclosed by southern _________
Saltwater To Freshwater
• The water in oceans are too ___________ for drinking, ___________, & manufacturing
• __________ - the effort to change saltwater into freshwater by removing the ____ (1500 plants worldwide)
• Very __________ & gives small amounts of freshwater but produces table salt & very high quality water
• Salt weighs more
Freshwater
• Fresh water is ____________ occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice _________, ice caps, glaciers,
bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers & streams, & underground as groundwater in __________ & underground streams
• Out of all the water on Earth, only _________ is fresh water
• _________ frozen in glaciers & ice caps
• _________ as groundwater
• _________ of it as surface water in lakes & rivers
• Freshwater lakes, most notably Lake __________ in Russia & the Great Lakes in North America,
contain _______ of this fresh surface water
• ________ have most of the balance with only a small amount in rivers, most notably the Amazon River
• The atmosphere contains __________ water
Lakes
• A body of water completely ____________ by _________
• Lakes are ___________ & not part of the _________ & therefore are distinct from lagoons, & are larger &
deeper than ponds
• Lakes can be contrasted with ___________ or streams, which are usually flowing
• However most lakes are fed & ____________ by rivers & streams
• Mostly found where ________ movements have cut deep valleys & built up dams that hold back melting water
Streams & Rivers
• Formed from flowing ___________
• The place where a river ___________ into a lake, sea, gulf, or ocean is called the ___________
Groundwater
• Freshwater that lies __________ the earth’s surface in soil pore spaces & in the fractures of ________
formations that comes from rain & melted snow that has ___________ through the soil
• A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an “_______” when it can yield a usable quantity of water
• Aquifer - an underground porous rock layer that is often saturated by very _______ water _______
• The __________ at which soil pore spaces or fractures & _________ in rock become completely saturated
with water is called the water __________ (you dig & water comes up-----this is why in New Orleans
__________ are put above ground)