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Course Introduction Earth Science Also known as geoscience All encompassing term for the sciences related to the planet earth Includes the studies of: The Atmosphere (air) The Hydrosphere (water) The Biosphere (life) The Lithosphere (terra firma) The Cryosphere (ice) Interesting Numbers There are about 400 billion stars in our galaxy (Milky Way) It’s estimated there are about 125 billion galaxies in the universe If we say that, on average, each star has as many planets orbiting it as our sun (8) then that is about 4 trillion planets Out of all of these possible planets, earth is the only one known to support life That is 0.00000000000025% of total planets Necessities for Life on Earth Liquid Water Atmosphere Gravity Magnetic Field Proper distance from Sun (Goldilocks Zone) Moon Weather Fields of Study Geology -> rocky parts of the Earth’s crust Physical Geography -> soil, weather, magnetism, gravity Geophysics -> investigate the shape of the earth and its forces (magnetism, gravity, tectonics) Oceanography -> marine/freshwater domains Glaciology -> icy parts of the earth Atmospheric -> gaseous parts of the earth Why is Earth Science Important? Short Answer Because we live here Long Answer Earth science affects all our lives. Our landscape has been shaped by natural processes such as tectonics, weathering, and biological activity over billions of years. We use natural materials everyday; everything from building stone and oil to metals such as iron, copper, gold, and even diamonds. These have all been extracted from the ground. Natural hazards such as volcanoes and earthquakes can dramatically affect lives. “The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.” -Pope John Paul II