The Earth System - The stratosphere (10 to 50 km), contains ozone that protects life

“Earth is a complex system of interacting physical, chemical and biological on the planet by filtering harmful ultraviolet radiation from the
Sun.
processes, and provides a natural laboratory whose experiments have been
running since the beginning of time.”
Atmosphere: Interactions with other Earth System components
Earth As A Closed System
Hydrosphere: The gases of the atmosphere readily exchange with those
Closed system: exchange of energy but negligible exchange of mass with dissolved in water bodies (e.g. oceans, lakes, etc.)
surroundings Biosphere: The atmosphere supplies oxygen and carbon dioxide that form the
Earth System Science basis of life processes (photosynthesis and respiration).
 Earth is a dynamic body with many separate, but highly interacting Geosphere: Gases in the atmosphere react with water to produce weak acids
parts or spheres. that aid in the breakdown of rock.
 Earth system science studies Earth as a system composed of numerous
parts, or subsystems. System Interactions
Earth’s Four Spheres Hurricanes (atmosphere) sweep across the ocean (hydrosphere) and onto the
land (geosphere), damaging the dwellings of people (biosphere) who live along
The Earth is a system consisting of four major interacting components: the coast.
Geosphere: comprises the solid Earth and includes Earth’s surface and the The Biosphere
layers of the Earth's interior.  “life zone”
Atmosphere: gaseous envelope that surrounds the Earth  is structured into a hierarchy known as the food chain (all life is
Hydrosphere: includes all water on Earth dependent on the first tier)
Biosphere: the life zone of the Earth and includes all living organisms and all  Energy and mass is transferred from one level of the food chain to
organic matter that has not yet decompose. the next.
The Atmosphere
 The Earth is surrounded by a blanket of Air (the atmosphere) Biosphere: Interactions with other Earth System components
 consists of four unique layers (troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, Atmosphere: Life processes involves many chemical reactions which either
and thermosphere). extract or emit gases to form the atmosphere (e.g. photosynthesis consumes
 reaches over 560 kilometers (348 miles) up from the surface of the carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, whereas respiration does the opposite).
Earth. Hydrosphere: Evaporation of water from leaf surfaces (transpiration) transfers
 primarily composed of nitrogen (about 78%) and oxygen (about 21%). water to the atmosphere.
Other components exist in small quantities Geosphere: The biosphere is connected to the geosphere through soils. Plant
 Composed primarily of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water activity are also for the mechanical and chemical breakdown of the rocks.
vapor.
- The mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere are zones of Hydrosphere
diffuse atmospheric components  The hydrosphere contains all the water found on our planet.
- The troposphere (0-10km) constitutes the  includes the ocean as well as water from lakes and rivers, streams, and
climate system that maintains the conditions suitable for life on creeks.
the planet's surface.  Water found under the surface of our planet includes water vapor.
  Frozen water on our planet includes ice caps and glaciers.
 Only about 3% of the water on Earth is “fresh” water, and about 70% of  CRUST - Primarily silica plus light metallic elements
the fresh water is frozen in the form of glacial ice.  MANTLE – Primarily silica plus iron and Magnesium
 CORE - Primarily iron and nickel
Hydrologic cycle  LITHOSPHERE – brittle solid.
 Precipitation  ASTHENOSPHERE - solid (but nearly liquid)
 Transpiration  MESOSPHERE – solid.
 Surface  OUTER CORE – liquid
 Run off  INNER CORE – solid
 Infiltration
 Groundwater and soil moisture Geosphere: Interactions with other Earth System components
 Evaporation
 Ocean Atmosphere: volcanism spews significant amounts of gases into the
 Snow and ice atmosphere
 Atmosphere Hydrosphere: The formation of many minerals involve incorporation or release
of water. Also, water speeds up chemical reactions that produce or destroy
minerals
Hydrosphere: Interactions with other Earth System components
Biosphere: Nutrients released from rocks during their breakdown are dissolved
 Atmosphere: Water is transferred between the hydrosphere and in water (to be used by aquatic plants).
biosphere by evaporation and precipitation. Energy is also exchanged
in this process.
Volcanoes (geosphere) erupt, sending ash and gases into the air (atmosphere)
 Biosphere: Water is necessary for the transport of nutrients and waste
and sending lava and ash down onto surrounding forests (biosphere) and
products in organisms.
human habitations (biosphere).
 Geosphere: Water is the primary agent for the chemical and
mechanical breakdown of rock (weathering), to form loose rock
fragments and soil, and sculpts the surface of the Earth. Earthquakes (geosphere) can damage buildings which may kill
people(biosphere), as well as cause fires which release gases into the air
(atmosphere). Earthquakes in the ocean may cause a tsunami (hydrosphere)
Geosphere which can eventually hit land and kill both animals and people (biosphere).
 The geosphere is the solid Earth that includes the continental and - As components of the biosphere, humans are temporary receptacles of
ocean crust as well the various layers of Earth’s interior. the matter and energy that flows through the Earth System
 94% of the Earth is composed of the elements oxygen, silicon, and - “You are what you eat, drink, and breathe”
magnesium. - Human health is, to some degree, a function of how this flow of matter
 The geosphere is not static (unchanging), but its surface (crust) is in a and energy flows through, and interacts with, the human body
constant state of motion. - In many cases, problems of human health are fundamentally linked to
 Mineral resources are mined from the geosphere. the natural distribution of Earth materials

Earth’s Layers: Composition and Mechanical Characteristics

Understanding physical and chemical processes in the Earth System is as PLANET BIYO
important as understanding biological entities in terms of understanding - is a minor planet named after a Filipino teacher, Dr. Josette Biyo
biological systems (all are connected)
Planet 13241
- Found in the Main Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter.
UNIVERSE AND SOLAR SYSTEM
COSMOLOGY
1) MERCURY
is the branch of science that studies the origin, evolution and fate of the
 INNERMOST AND SWIFTEST PLANET
universe.
 ALBEDO 0F 6%
The UNIVERSE is a large unimaginable expanse of gas, stars, dust clouds,
planets and galaxy.  DAYLIGHT & DARKNESS BOTH LAST 88 DAYS
Steady State / Infinite Universe Theory  TEMPERATURE RANGE OF -300F TO 800F
Matter is constantly created as the universe expands.  VERY LITTLE ATMOSPHERE
Big Bang Cosmology 2) VENUS
Matter dilutes as the universe expands • SIMILAR IN SIZE, DENSITY AND MASS TO EARTH
• THICK CLOUD OF CARBON DIOXIDE
SOLAR SYSTEM • SURFACE TEMPS OF 900F DUE TO GREENHOUSE EFFECT
- is the gravitationally bound system comprising the Sun and the objects • ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE IS 90 TIMES THAT OF EARTH
that orbit around it, either directly or indirectly. • IF EARTH IS HEAVEN THEN VENUS IS HELL
- it is in constant motion, with the planets and their moons, comets, 4) MARS
asteroids and other space objects revolving around the Sun. • WHITE POLAR ICE CAPS
• HAVE GREAT RIFT VALLEY
The masses of the planets are also concentrated in the Gas Giant planets • VERY DRY PLANET
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
• REDDISH ROCK, SAND AND SOIL
 The large mass of these planets comes from their absolute sizes, not
5) JUPITER
their densities.
• 2 1/2 TIMES LARGER THAN ALL OTHER PLANETS COMBINED
 The inner planets are by far the densest.
• 1 DAY LASTS 10 HOURS DUE TO FAST ROTATION
• HURRICANE-LIKE STORM SYSTEMS
TERRESTRIAL (Inner Planets)
• WITH WINDS OF 1000 MPH – GREAT RED SPOT
• made of materials with high melting points such as silicates, iron, and nickel
• SURFACE OF LIQUID HYDROGEN OCEAN
• rotate slower, have thin or no atmosphere
• SOME MOONS [61] AS LARGE AS MARS
MOONS OF JUPITER
JOVIAN (Outer Planets)
 DISCOVERED BY GALILELO
• gas giants
 61 TOTAL MOONS
• rotate faster
> CALLISTO > GANYMEDE
• have thick atmosphere
> IO > EUROPA
6) SATURN ASTEROIDS
• 29 1/2 YEARS TO MAKE ONE REVOLUTION • Irregular shapes AND Origin is uncertain
• SYSTEM OF RINGS • Most lie between Mars and Jupiter
• HIGH WIND SPEEDS 1000+ MPH • Small bodies – largest (Ceres) is about 620 miles in diameter
7) URANUS • Some have very eccentric orbits
• SURROUNDED BY POLAR CIRCLING RINGS • Many of the recent impacts on the Moon and Earth were collisions with
• KNOWN AS THE GREEN PLANET asteroids
• METHANE IN ATMOSPHERE
• ROTATES ON ITS SIDE METEOROIDS
8) NEPTUNE • are called meteors when they enter Earth’s atmosphere
• TWIN PLANET TO URANUS • are called as meteorites when they are found on Earth
• BY POLAR CIRCLING RINGS • A meteor shower occurs when Earth encounters a swarm of meteoroids
associated with a comet’s path
• KNOWN AS THE GREEN PLANET
• METHANE IN ATMOSPHERE
Minerals and Rocks
• ROTATES ON ITS SIDE
 A mineral is a naturally occurring, solid crystalline substance, generally
9) PLUTO
inorganic, with a specific chemical composition.
• MAY NOT BE A PLANET BUT A TRANSITION BETWEEN COMET AND
o Minerals
PLANET
o Natural
• AVERAGE TEMP OF -350F
• LARGE DIRTY ICEBALL o Solid
• 248 YEARS TO ORBIT SUN o Atoms arranged in orderly repeating 3D array: crystalline
• o Not part of the tissue of an organism
MINOR MEMBERS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM o Composition fixed or varies within defined limits
1) COMETS o Minerals are the “building blocks” of rock
2) ASTEROIDS
3) METEOROIDS Atomic Structure of Minerals
COMETS NaCl - sodium chloride (HALITE)
- Often compared to large, “dirty snowballs”
Composition: Chemical Bonds: Ionic
• Frozen gases  Electrical attraction between ions of opposite charge
• Rocky and metallic materials  Bond strength increases with the electrical charges of the ions
• Frozen gases vaporize when near the Sun  Bond strength decreases as the distance between the ions increases
• Produces a glowing head called the coma  Most minerals are this kind of compound
• Some may develop a tail that points away from Sun due to radiation pressure
and the solar wind
Covalent Bonds:  Compounds of metallic cations and oxygen
 Electron sharing  Important for many metal ores needed to make things (e.g., iron,
 Generally stronger than ionic bonds (e.g., diamond) chromium, titanium)
 Ores are economically useful (i.e., possible to mine) mineral deposits
Crystallization of Minerals Sulfides
 Need starting material with atoms that can come together in the  Metallic cations with sulfide (S2-) ion
proper proportions  Important for ores of copper, zinc, nickel, lead, iron
 Growth from a liquid or a gas Sulfates
 Time and space for crystallization  Minerals with sulfate ion (SO42-)
 Appropriate temperature and pressure Gypsum - Cave of the Crystals
 Crystals begin as an initial “seed” - a microscopic crystal  1,000 feet depth in the silver and lead Naica Mine
 Atoms keep being added in a 3D array, repeating the basic  150 degrees, with 100 % humidity
arrangement  4-ft diameter columns 50 ft. length
 Crystal faces are based on the array structure
Identification of Minerals
Cations and Anions  Chemical composition (microprobes and wet chemical methods)
 Anions are typically large  Crystal structure (X-ray diffraction)
 Cations are relatively small  Physical properties
 Crystal structure is determined largely by the arrangement of the - Cleavage: tendency of minerals to break along flat planar
anions - Fracture
- Luster (metallic, vitreous, resinous, earthy, etc.)
Polymorphs - Color (often a poor indicator; streak color is better)
 Minerals with the same composition, but different crystal structure. - Specific gravity
Silicates - Crystal habit (shape)
 Most abundant minerals in the Earth's crust
 Silicate ion (tetrahedron), SiO44- Rocks
Silicate structure  An aggregate of one or more minerals; or a body of undifferentiated
 Most of the most common rocks in the crust are silicates mineral matter (e.g., obsidian); or of solid organic matter (e.g., coal)
 Silicate tetrahedral can combine in several ways to form many common  More than one crystal
minerals  Volcanic glass
Carbonates  Solidified organic matter
 Cations with carbonate ion (CO32-)  Appearance controlled by composition and size and arrangement of
 Make up many common rocks including limestone and marble aggregate grains (texture)
 Very important for CCS! Rock Types
Oxides  Igneous
 Form by solidification of molten rock (magma)
Intrusive (plutonic)
 Form within the Earth
 Slow cooling
 Interlocking large crystals
 Example = granite

Extrusive (volcanic)
 Form on the surface of the Earth as a result of volcanic eruption
 Rapid cooling
 Glassy and/or fine-grained texture
 Example = basalt

 Sedimentary
Form by lithification of sediment (sand, silt, clay, shells)
Origin of sediment
- Produced by weathering and erosion or by precipitation from solution
 Weathering = chemical and mechanical breakdown of rocks
 Erosion = processes that get the weathered material moving.
- Clastic sediments are derived from the physical deposition of particles
produced by weathering and erosion of preexisting rock.
- Chemical and biochemical sediments are precipitated from solution.

 Metamorphic
Form by transformations of preexisting rocks (in the solid state)
Lithification
- The process that converts sediments into solid rock
- Compaction
- Cementation