Download Solid, rocky crust covering entire planet.

LITHOSPHERE
Solid, rocky crust
covering entire planet.
http://mediatheek.thinkquest.nl/~ll125/images/struct.jp
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ATMOSPHERE
The air surrounding Earth
• 78% Nitrogen
• Just under 21% Oxygen
• less than 1% argon,
carbon dioxide & other
gasses
www.space.gc.ca
HYDROSPHERE
All the water in or near the Earth
BIOSPHERE
Composed of all living organisms
• Plants
• Animals
• One-celled organisms
The 4 Geo-spheres” of the earth
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http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/images/misc/spheres3.jpg
The super-hot solid inner layer of iron and nickel under
extreme pressure
The liquid layer of melted iron and nickel that
surrounds the inner core.
The thickest layer. This layer is made up of hot, dense rock – silicon,
aluminum, iron, magnesium, and oxygen. This layer rises, cools, sinks, warms
up, rises, etc.
The rocky shell that covers the earth’ surface. The shell is broken up into plates
that move apart or ground together to push up mountains, create volcanoes,
and produce earthquakes.
The theory that the land of the earth was once connected as one large super
continent (Pangaea) and has moved “drifted” to its current locations (still moving)
The theory that the crust of the earth is broken up into plates (8 major and many
minor) that “float” on the mantle
The plate boundaries of the world.
Subduction – When a sea plate and continental plate collide, the heavier sea
plate DIVES under the lighter continental plate. The sea plate then is heated and
becomes magma which escapes through volcanoes.
Accretion – slow process that occurs when a sea plate SLIDES under a
continental plate. This causes debris which makes continents grow outward.
Spreading – When sea plates pull apart leaving a rift, or deep crack.
Magma wells up between the two plates to make underwater volcanoes and
ridges.
Folding – when moving plates squeeze the earth’s surface until it bends the
layers of rock.
Faulting - When moving
plates grind past each other,
creating cracks in the curst.
Earthquake – sudden, violent moving of plates along a fault where
built up pressure suddenly snaps and shifts.
Ring of Fire – area along the edge of the Pacific Ocean that is a zone of
frequent earthquakes and volcanoes.
Volcano – mountains
formed by lava
(magma) that breaks
through the earth’s
crust.
Click on the underlined headings to see animation:
Spreading (ocean) Oceanic Divergent Plates
Spreading (continental) Continental Divergent Plates
Subduction & Accretion (continental-oceanic) Convergent Continental-Oceanic Plates
Subduction & Accretion (ocean) Convergent Oceanic Plates
Folding & Faulting Convergent Continental Plates
Transform Fault transform fault
Weathering – process that breaks down rocks on the earth’s surface into smaller
pieces
Physical Weathering – Form of weathering that occurs when large masses
of rock are broken down into smaller pieces. Example: Cracks in rocks fill with water
and then freeze. Ice expands and cracks the rocks.
Chemical Weathering – Form of weathering that occurs when the make-up
of the rock is changed by transforming minerals or combining with new elements.
Example: carbon dioxide in the air dissolves limestone.
Erosion is the wearing away of the earth’s crust by water, wind, and glaciers.
Wind erosion – movement of dust, sand, and soil from one area to another.
Plants help prevent this.
Glacial erosion – large bodies of ice move slowly across the
earth’s surface. As the glaciers move they pick up rocks and soils in
their path. As the glacier retreats it can also leave fields of debris
behind.
Water erosion – fast-moving water cuts into the land as it flows downstream.
Ocean waves can also erode coastal cliffs. WATER is the most significant cause of
erosion.
The part of a continent that extends under the water.
Highest Point on Land –
Mt. Everest – 29,035 feet
Lowest Point on dry land – shore of
the Dead Sea, 1,349 below sea level
Lowest point on earth – Mariana
Trench – 35,827 below sea level
Water cycle – the regular movement of water from ocean to air to ground and
back to the ocean.
Evaporation – liquid water turns into water vapor
Sublimate – ice and snow can turn from solid directly into water vapor
(skipping liquid form)
Evapotranspiration – water transpired from plants and evaporated from
the soil
Condensation – water vapor in
the clouds is changed into liquid
water
Precipitation – moisture that falls to earth in the forms of snow, sleet, hail, and rain.
Ice caps and glaciers – store frozen water for thousands of years. 2% of all
the world’s water is frozen freshwater.
Snowmelt – surface runoff produced by melting snow.
Surface runoff – water flow that occurs from excess water from rain,
meltwater, or other sources that flow over the land.
Freshwater storage – accumulation of runoff, stream flow, and other fresh water
(lakes)
Infiltration – downward movement of water through soil.
Ground water – water under the earth’s surface from rain, melted snow, lakes,
and rivers (freshwater – not salt water).
Aquifer –
underground water bearing layers of
porous rock, sand, or
gravel.
The removal of salt from sea water to make fresh water
River – large
natural stream of
water that runs
through the land.
HINT: Water never
runs naturally uphill.
Some rivers run north,
but ALL natural rivers
run from a high point to
a low point – ALWAYS
Source – place
where a river or
stream begins,
usually in the
highlands.
Lake Itasca
Watershed – area drained by
a river.
No matter where you are
or where you live, you are
in a watershed. A
watershed is an area of
land that catches rain and
snow and drains it into a
body of water, such as a
river, pond, estuary, bay,
lake, or ocean. A
watershed can also be
called a drainage basin.
Tributary – small river or stream that flows into a large river or stream (branch of a river)
Cataract – a large waterfall
Divide – highland that
separates the direction of
river systems.
Downstream – direction a
river flows (toward the
mouth) – from the source.
Upstream – direction opposite
the flow of a river (toward the
source) – from the mouth.
Meander – winding path or
course of a river.
Ox-bow lake – a bow shaped lake formed in a former channel of a river.
Confluence – flowing together of two or more rivers or streams.
Basin – area of land drained by a river and its branches; area of land
surrounded by lands of higher elevations.
A floodplain, like this
one along the
Limpopo River in
southern Africa, is an
area of nearly flat
land bordering a
stream or river that is
naturally subject to
periodic flooding.
Alluvial plain – flood plain where
flooding rivers deposit rich soil.
Wetlands – a lowland area, such as a marsh
or swamp, that is saturated with moisture.
Estuaries are bodies of water and their surrounding coastal habitats typically found
where rivers meet the sea. Estuaries harbor unique plant and animal communities
because their waters are brackish—a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and
salty seawater.
Delta – alluvial
deposit at the river’s
mouth that looks like
the Greek letter
delta (∆)
Mouth – place where a
stream or river flows
into a larger body of
water (can be estuary
or delta)