Download The Spheres of the Earth

The Spheres of the Earth
What are they and
How do they
interact?
Earth Systems Described
*Everything that happens on our planet is
part of a complex set of interactions
between air, water, land, and life.
• On a global scale, each part can be
thought of as a sphere, roughly the
same size and shape as the planet.
• The 4 parts are called the geosphere,
hydrosphere, atmosphere, and
biosphere.
Geosphere
“Land”
*All of the rocks and “hard material” of
the earth
*Consists of the core, mantle and crust of
the Earth. (The Lithosphere: is the term
for earth’s crust)
*More Examples: Continents, ocean
floor, mountains, volcanoes, rocks, sand,
dust, bricks
Hydrosphere
“Water”
• All of the
Earth’s water
• Contains all of
the solid, liquid
and gaseous
water on Earth.
• 97% of the
hydrosphere is found
in salty oceans.
• The remainder is
found as vapor or
droplets in the
atmosphere & as liquid
in ground water, lakes,
rivers, glaciers and
snowfields.
Atmosphere
“Air”
• The atmosphere contains all of the
Earth’s air and is divided into
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere,
thermosphere and ionosphere.
• Examples: Ozone, oxygen, carbon
dioxide, nitrogen, Wind
Biosphere
“Life”
• Life is Distributed in
major life zones known
as biomes: forests,
deserts, and marine.
• EXAMPLES: Humans,
animals, plants,
microbes (bacteria),
Fungus
The biosphere is
the collection of
all Earth’s life
forms.
Interactive Image of the Earth’s
Spheres
https://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/i
nvestigations/es0103/es0103page02.cfm?chapter_no=investi
gation
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/dynamic/session4/sess4_interactions.htm
Class Activity
Example:
https://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/investigations
/es0103/es0103page03.cfm?chapter_no=investigation
How do the Spheres interact on Earth?
1. Use the different Earth images provided. In small
groups: Identify what parts in the image
represent each of the four spheres.
(Use the questions on the following slide to work on
your image.)
2. Each group will write down their answers for the
teacher and then present their findings to the
class.
Identifying the Spheres in your Image
Use the following questions:
A. List the major features in the image
and tell which sphere each one
represents.
B. Describe sphere interactions you
can infer from the scene.
https://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/investigations/
es0103/images/es0103_p5_smlfire_b.jpg
More Image Examples