Download Chapter 3 The Dynamic Earth

Chapter 3 The Dynamic Earth
Section I. The Geosphere
Name ______________________Date _____________ Class _______
Earth as a System
Scientists divide earth into ___ parts, the _________________(rock); the ____________________(air);
the _________________(water) and the _________________(living things). Scientists divide earth’s
interior into 3 layers, the thin outer layer is called the ____________; the next layer, the_____________
makes up 64% of the earth’s mass; earth’s innermost layer, which is composed of very dense elements, is
known as the ___________. Based of physical properties, the Earth is divided into ___ layers. The outer
layer, or _________________ is a cool, rigid layer; 15 km to 300 km thick includes the ________ and the
rigid upper part of the__________. It is divided into huge pieces called ___________ __________. The
plastic, solid layer of the mantle below the lithosphere is the ______________________. It is made of
_______ that flows slowly, allows tectonic plates to _______ on top of it. Below the asthenosphere is the
_________________, the lower part of the ____________. The outer core is a _________ __________
layer; the inner core is dense and _________ , made up mostly of __________________.
Although the
temperature of inner core is ~_______ to ______°C, it is solid because ________________________.
Plate Tectonics
___________________ are blocks of __________ that consist of the _________ and the rigid, outermost
part of the _____________ and glide across the underlying ________________. The ________________
are located on _______________________ and move around with them. The major tectonic plates
include the Pacific, North America,South America, Africa, Eurasian, and Antarctic plates.
Plate Boundaries
Much of the _______________ activity at the surface of the Earth takes place at the ______________
between tectonic plates. The plates may ____________, ____________ or ______________ one
another.
Enormous forces are generated with these actions causing ______________ to form, _____________ to
shake the
__________, and volcanoes to erupt along the __________________________.Plate Tectonics and
Mountain Building
When tectonic plates ___________, __________one another, or ____________, enormous forces cause
rock to __________ and ____________. Where plates _____________, the crust becomes
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_______________ and eventually forms__________________________, such as the Himalaya
Mountains.
Earthquakes
A _______ is a break in Earth’s _________along which blocks of the crust slide relative to one another.
When rocks that are under stress suddenly break along a fault, a series of ______________________,
known as an _______________________, is set off.
Earthquakes are occurring __________________. Many are so small that we cannot feel them, but some
are enormous movements of the Earth’s crust that cause widespread damage.
The measure of the energy released by an earthquake is called ____________________.
The smallest magnitude that can be felt is ______, and the largest magnitude ever recorded is _____.
Magnitudes greater than 7.0 cause widespread damage.
Each increase of magnitude by one whole number indicates the release of _______ times more energy
than the whole number below it.
The majority of earthquakes take place ____________________________ boundaries because of the
enormous stresses that are generated when _______________ separate, collide or slip past each other.
Over the past 15 million to 20 million years, large numbers of earthquakes have occurred along the San
Andreas fault in California, where parts of the North America plate and the Pacific plate are _________
______________________ another.
Scientists cannot predict _________ earthquakes will take place. However, they can help provide
information about ____________ earthquakes are likely to occur giving helping people prepare.
An area’s earthquake-hazard level is determined by past and present_________________________.
Earthquake-resistant buildings, built in high risk areas, are slightly ________________ so that they can
___________ with the ground motion preventing them from collapsing.
Volcanoes
volcano - a mountain built from ___________, or melted rock, that rises from Earth’s ____________ to
the ______________, and can occur on land or in the sea.
Volcanoes are often located near tectonic plate ______________ where plates are either colliding or
_________________________ from one another.
are located along__________________________
The majority of the world’s active volcanoes on land
that surround the ________________________.
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Local Effect of Volcanic Eruptions
Clouds of hot _____, ________ and __________ can flow down the slope of a volcano at speeds of up
to ______km/hr and sear everything in their path.
During an eruption, volcanic ash can mix with water and produce ______________ that runs downhill.
In addition, ash that falls to the ground can cause buildings to _______________ under its weight, bury
___________, damage the ________________ of vehicles, and cause _________________ difficulties.
Global Effects of Volcanic Eruptions
Major volcanic eruptions can change Earth’s _______________ for several years.
In large eruptions, clouds of ____________________ and __________ rich gases may reach the upper
atmosphere, and spread across the planet reducing the amount of _____________ that reaches the
Earth’s surface.
The reduction in sunlight can cause a drop in the average global _________________________
Erosion
The Earth’s surface is continually battered by __________ and scoured by running ___________, which
moves rocks around and changes their appearance.
Erosion is the process in which the materials of the Earth’s surface are________________, dissolved,
or ______________ and transported form one place to another by a natural agent, such as ________,
___________, ______ or ____________.
Erosion wears downs rocks and makes them ______________ as times passes. Older mountains are
therefore smoother than ________________ ones.
Water Erosion
Erosion by both _________ and ______________ can produce dramatic changes on Earth’s surface.
Waves from ocean storms can erode ____________________ to give rise to a variety of landforms,
Over time, rivers can carve deep _____________ into the landscape.
Wind Erosion
Wind also changes the ____________________ of the planet.
In places where few plants grow, such as _________ and _________, wind can blow soil away quickly.
Soft rocks, such as ___________, erode more easily than hard rocks, such as ______________ do.
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The Atmosphere
The atmosphere is a mixture of _____________ that surrounds a planet, such as Earth.
___________, ____________, _____________________ and other gases are all parts of this mixture.
Volcanic eruptions add ____________ to the atmosphere.
The atmosphere also _______________ Earth’s surface which slows the rate of heat loss and keeps
Earth temperature ______________.
Composition of the Atmosphere
Nitrogen - _____________of the atmosphere
-enters the atmosphere when _____________and when dead plants and animals ________.
Oxygen - the _______________ abundant gas primarily produced by ____________.
atmosphere contains many types of tiny, _____________________, or atmospheric dust.
In addition to ___________ and ____________, other gases such as argon, _____________,
methane, and water vapor make up the rest of the atmosphere.
Air Pressure
Earth’s atmosphere is pulled toward the surface by __________, so it is ___________ near the Earth’s
surface.
most of the mass of atmospheric gases is located within _________of the surface.
Air becomes ________________ with elevation, so breathing at higher elevations is more ________.
Layers of the atmosphere
4 layers (based on temperature changes) write out description for each:
TroposphereStratosphere-
Mesosphere-
Thermosphere-
Energy Transfer in the Atmosphere
________________ - energy transferred as electromagnetic waves. (visible light and infrared waves)
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________________ - the transfer of energy as heat through a material.
________________ - movement of matter due to differences in density that are caused by temperature
variations; can result in the transfer of energy as heat.
__________ energy reaches the Earth as __________________ radiation; (visible light, infrared
radiation, ultraviolet light)
~ 1/2 of this energy reaches the _____________________ ; the rest is _______________ or
_______________by clouds, gases and dust or is reflected by Earth’s surface.
the oceans and land ________________ the absorbed energy back into the atmosphere.
Dark-colored objects absorb ____________radiation that light-colored objects, so dark colored objects
have more energy to release as heat.
This is one reason the temperature in cities is ____________ that the temperature in the surrounding
countryside.
The Movement of Energy in the Atmosphere
As a current of air warms, it ______________
Then it begins to ___________, becomes more ___________ than the air around it and sinks back
toward the Earth where it is heated, becomes less dense and begins to rise again.
The continual process of warm air _______________ and cool air _____________ moves air in a
circular motion called a ______________________..
The Greenhouse Effect
the warming of the surface and lower atmosphere that occurs when CO 2, water vapor and other
gases _________________and reradiate infrared radiation.
These gases are called
___________________Ex. water vapor, CO2, methane and nitrous oxide
amounts of CO2 and methane in the atmosphere vary as a result of _________ and ___________
processes. Without the greenhouse effect, Earth would be too _________ for life to exist.
The Hydrosphere - includes all of the ___________ on or near Earth’s surface: oceans, _______, rivers,
___________, polar ice caps, ________, rock layers beneath Earth’s surface, and _______________.
The Water Cycle - the continuous_________________ water from the ocean to the ______________ to
the land and back to the ocean.
Evaporation - the change of state from a ____________ to a _______.
Water continually __________________ from oceans, lakes, streams and soil
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Condensation - the change of state from a _______ to a ____________.
Water vapor forms ______________ on dust particles that form clouds; the droplets collide to create
larger, heavier drops that fall from the clouds as rain.
Precipitation - any form of ___________ that falls to Earth’s _____________ from the clouds; rain,
snow, sleet and hail.
Earth’s Oceans
All of the oceans are ___________ in a single large interconnected body of water called the _________
____________. The world ocean plays important roles in the _________________________________
The largest ocean on Earth is the ___________________ with a surface area of about 165,640,000 km2.
-The deepest point on the ocean floor, the____________________, is found in the Pacific Ocean.
-The Challenger Deep is located east of the Philippine islands at the bottom of the _______________
_____________ and is 11,033m below sea level which is deeper than __________________ is tall.
-Oceanographers often divide the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific and South Pacific based on
the direction of the ______________________________in each half of the Pacific Ocean.
- ___________________ in the Pacific move in a _______________direction ________ of the equator.
-Surface currents in the Pacific move in a _____________________direction ________ of the equator.
-The second largest ocean on Earth is the____________________, and covers about _________ the
area of the Pacific Ocean which is a surface area of about 81,630,000 km2.
-Like the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean can be divided into a __________ and __________ half
based on the directions of ________________________________ north and south of the equator.
- The __________________ is the third largest ocean on Earth with a surface area of 73,420,000 km2.
-The smallest ocean is the _______________________ which covers 14,350,000 km2.
-The ________________is unique because much of its __________ is covered by floating ice, called
_____________, which forms when either __________ or __________ drive together frozen seawater,
known as sea ice, into a large mass.
-The difference between ocean water and fresh water is that ocean water contains more ________.
-Salinity is a measure of the amount of ________________________in a given amount of liquid.
-Salinity is _______________ in places that get a lot of rain or in places where fresh water flows in
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to the sea. In contrast, salinity is ___________ where water evaporates rapidly and leaves the salts
behind
-Most of the salt in the ocean is___________________, which is made up of the elements sodium and
chloride, although many other elements can be found in the ocean as well.
Temperature Zones
-The __________ of the ocean is warmed by the sun, while the depths of the ocean, where ________
never reaches, are ________________, just above freezing.
Surface waters are stirred up by ______________________so the warm surface zone may be as
much as 350 m deep.
Below the surface zone is the _______________, which is layer about 300 to 700 m deep where
the temperature falls rapidly.
A Global Temperature Regulator
One of the most important functions of the world ocean is to ________________________ energy
from sunlight which in turn regulates _______________________________ in Earth’s atmosphere.
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Because the ocean both ____________________________ heat slower than land, the temperature
of the atmosphere changes more slowly.
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If the ocean did not regulate atmospheric and surface temperatures, temperatures would be too
extreme for _____________________________________________ on Earth.
Local temperatures in different areas of the planet are also regulated by the
_________________________________.
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Currents that __________________________________________________ causing land areas
they flow past to have more moderate climates.
• For example, the British Isles are warmed by the waters of the Gulf Stream.
Ocean Currents
• Streamlike movements of water that occur at or near the surface of the ocean are called
________________________________________________
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Surface currents are wind driven and result from _______________________________.
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Surface currents can be _____________________________ water currents. However, currents of
warm water an currents of cold water do not readily mix with one another.
______________________________ are streamlike movements of water that flow very slowly
along the ocean floor.
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Deep currents form when the cold, dense water from the poles ________________ below warmer,
less dense ocean water and flows _________________________________________.
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The densest and coldest ocean water is located off the coast of _________________________ and
flows very slowly northward producing a deep current called the Antarctic Bottom Water.
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Fresh Water and River Systems
• __________________________________ is water that contains insignificant amounts of salts.
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Most of the fresh water is locked up in _________________ and _____________________ while
the rest is found in places like lakes, rivers, wetlands, the soil and atmosphere.
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A river system is a network of streams that drains an area of land and contains all of the land
drained by a river including the main river and all its smaller streams or rivers that flow into larger
ones, or tributaries.
Ground water
• Rain and melting snow sink into the ground and run off the land. Most of this water trickles down
through the ground and collects as __________________________________.
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Although it makes up only 1 percent of all the water on Earth, groundwater fulfills the human need
for __________________________________________, and supplies agricultural and industrial
need.
Aquifers
A rock layer that stores and allows the flow of groundwater is called an ___________________.
The Biosphere
The biosphere is the part of Earth where ___________________________, extending about 11 km into
the ocean and about 9 km into the atmosphere.
The materials that organisms require must be continually __________________. Gravity allows a planet
to maintain an atmosphere and to cycle materials.
Suitable combinations that organisms need to survive are found only in the biosphere.
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The biosphere is located near Earth’s surface because most of the sunlight is available near the
surface.
Plants need ______________________________________ to produce their food, and almost
every other organism gets its food from plants and algae.
Most of the algae float at the surface of the ocean and is known as phytoplankton.
Energy Flow in the Biosphere
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The energy used by organisms must be obtained in the __________________________________
and must be constantly supplied for life to continue.
When an organism dies, its body is broken down and the nutrients in it become available for use by
other ____________________________________.
This flow of energy allows life on Earth to continue to exist.
___________________________ are systems that cannot exchange matter or energy with its
surroundings.
____________________________ are systems that can exchange both matter and energy with its
surroundings.
Today, the Earth is essentially a closed system with respect to matter, but an open system for
energy as energy travels from plant to animal which is eaten by other animals. In the process, some
energy is lost as heat to the environment.
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