EARTH SCI Q1

Atmosphere

serves as the Earth’s blanket.

Atmosphere

It serves as the Earth’s protection form harmful UV rays and keeps the planet warm through greenhouse gasses

Temperature

It influences how quickly atoms, molecules or organisms move. Low temperature slows down chemical reaction and produces ice that makes liquid water unavailable. High temperature can cause break down of important biological molecules.

Water

It is one of the important ingredients in the different biological processes. Absence of this will interfere reactions necessary for life. However, solid form ofthis will also hinder living organisms to use it

Atmosphere

It provides significant insulation or shielding from the sun and impact of small to medium size meteorites. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) trap heat and protects our planet from freezing

ozone (O3) layer

shields the Earth’s surface from harmful UV radiation

The size of the planet and its distance from the sun

affects its ability to hold significant amount of atmosphere

presence of gravity

also helps in sustaining its atmosphere.

chemosynthetic organisms

Some __________ rely on chemical energy to support various biological processes

Energy

rich sunlight to support life. Living organisms like plants and photosynthetic bacteria use light as the source of their ____

Nutrients

It is an essential factor used to build and maintain organism’s body structure. Insufficient or absence of _________ can impede synthesis of the different biological molecules.

Volcanism

________ also helps in cycling the nutrients

slows down

Low temperature _______ chemical reactions among living organisms.

Atmosphere

Provides chemicals needed for life

Decreases

Atmosphere is affected by the Earth’s gravity, so this is the reason why as the altitude increases the amount of gases in the atmosphere _________

Geosphere

comes from the Greek word geos meaning ground

Geosphere

It pertains to the solid part of the earth. It is divided in to three layers such as the crust, mantle, and the core

Rocks

naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals, organic material or natural glass called

Regolith

It is also composed of loose particles of rocks that enveloped the surface of Earth called _______

Mesosphere

It is where meteors and comets get dissolved.

Exosphere

Where satellites are located.

Hydrosphere

_______ is composed of all the water on Earth in any form. This includes ice, water vapor and liquid water.

Cryosphere

The permanently frozen part of this subsystem is called ___________

Temperature and Salinity

Water on Earth is constantly and consistently moving because of ____________

Water

It also plays an important role in absorption and redistribution of solar radiation

Biosphere

It is composed of all living things and the areas where they are found. It includes all animals, microbes, and plants.

Sphere Interactions

The processes that move matter and energy from one sphere to another is called as __________

Biogeochemical Cycles

It allows the circulation of important nutrients that form and support life like carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and water.

Crystal Habit

– refers to the overall shape or growth pattern of the mineral. It can be described as equant, elongate and platy.

Equant

– three dimensions of the mineral have about the same length, like that of a cube or sphere. (ei. garnet)

6400 km

how deep is geosphere?

The Blue Planet

Hydrosphere is also called..

Thermosphere

absorbs high-energy X-rays and UV radiation from the sun

Geosphere

Hydrosphere

Atmosphere

Biosphere

Earth's 4 Basic Subsystems

Geosphere

Solid region of the Earth

Rocks

a naturally occuring solid-aggregate of mineral

Regolith

loose particles of rocks that blanket the surface of the Earth

crust

mantle

core

3 different layers of the Geosphere

Hydrosphere

the totality of Earth's water

Cryosphere

permanently frozen parts

Atmosphere

the mixture of gases that surround the planet

5 Layers of Atmosphere

troposphere

stratosphere

mesosphere

thermosphere

exosphere

Troposphere

the lowest layer of the atmosphere

Stratosphere

the second layer of the atmosphere

Mesosphere

the middle layer of the atmosphere

Exosphere

uppermost layer of the atmosphere

Biosphere

includes all life forms and even organic material

Elongate

– forms prismatic or prism-like crystals that are thicker than the needle as in a pencil. (ei. Indicolite)

Platy

– looks like a flattened and thin crystal (like plate). (ei. Wulfenite)

Luster

- describes the appearance of a mineral when light is reflected from its surface. It can be described as opaque, transparent, dull, or shiny.

Metallic

______ luster is opaque and very reflective like gold and silver.

Nonmetallic

_______ luster is dull, silky, greasy, and pearly like silicates.

Cleavage

______ refers to the tendency of minerals to break along very smooth, flat and shiny surfaces. It can be described as one, two, three, four or all direction

Fracture

A mineral ________ may break along random, irregular surfaces. It can be classified as conchoidal, uneven, hackly, splintery, and earthy.

Hardness

– is a measure of the mineral’s resistance to scratching. Harder minerals will scratch softer minerals.

Friedrich Mohs in 1812

Who made the scale of hardness for minerals?

Color

- is one of the most obvious properties of a mineral but not reliable alone.

Streak

-refers to the color of the mineral in its powdered form, which may or may not be the same color as the minera

Magnetite

is the only common mineral that is always strongly magnetic.

Native Elements

These minerals are naturally occurring in nature in an uncombined form with a distinct mineral structure. It can be classified as metal, semimetals and non-metals metals.

Silicates

This is the largest group of minerals. It contains silicon and oxygen, with some aluminum, magnesium, iron and calcium.

Oxides

It is formed from the combination of a metal with oxygen. This group ranges from dull ores like bauxite to gems like rubies and sapphires.

Sulfides

These are made of compounds of sulfur usually with a metal. They tend to be heavy and brittle.

Sulfates

These are made of compounds of sulfur combined with metals and oxygen. It is a large group of minerals that tend to be soft, and translucent.

Halides

They form from halogen elements like chlorine, bromine, fluorine, and iodine combined with metallic elements. They are very soft and easily dissolved in water.

Carbonates

These are group of minerals made of carbon, oxygen, and a metallic element

Phospates

They are often formed when other minerals are broken down by weathering. They are often brightly colored.

Mineraloid

It is the term used for those substances that do not fit neatly into one of the eight classes.

Igneous Rocks

or magmatic rocks are formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava.

Intrusive Igneous Rocks

This type of igneous rock is formed from solidification of magma below the surface. They have large crystals of minerals that formed over time through the slow process of crystallization in a magma. Granite, diorite, gabbro, pegmatite, and peridotite are examples of this type of rock.

Extrusive Igneous Rocks

This type of igneous rock is formed through a faster rate of solidification of lava on the surface of Earth.

Sedimentary Rocks

is formed by the deposition and cementation of mineral or organic particles on the floor of oceans and other bodies of water at the Earth’s surface.

Clastic Sedimentary Rocks

It is formed from the mechanical weathering debris of rocks.

Chemical Sedimentary Rocks

It is formed when dissolved materials precipitate from the solution

Organic Sedimentary Rocks

It is formed from the build-up of plant or animal debris.

Metamorphic Rocks

forms from existing rock types called “parent rock” in the process called metamorphism, which means a change in form

Foliated Metamorphic Rocks

It is formed through pressure due to compression of rocks that create bands

called foliation.

Non-foliated Metamorphic Rocks

It has no foliation or bands.

Foliation

Compression of rocks that create bands called ____

Heat and Pressure

Metamorphic Rocks change due to

mining

the process of mineral extraction from a rock seam or ore

ore

a natural

rock or sediment containing one or more valuable mineral

Modern mining technology

uses geophysical techniques that involve measuring the magnetic, gravity and sonic

responses of rocks above and around a prospective mineral ore body

geo physical techniques

measuring the magnetic, gravity, and sonic responses

surface mining

is used to extract ore minerals near the surface of the earth.

The soil and rocks that covered the ores are removed through blasting

blasting

is a controlled use of explosives and gas exposure to break rocks

Strip Mining, Open pit mining and dredging

Three kinds of surface mining

Strip Mining

This mining type involves the removal of a thin strip of

overburden (earth or soil) above a desired deposit, dumping the removed

overburden behind the deposit, extracting the desired deposit, creating a

second, parallel strip in the same manner and depositing the waste materials

from that second (new) strip onto the first strip

Open-pit Mining

This is the most common type of surface mining. Open pit

means a big hole (or pit) in the ground.

open pit mining

It is used to mine gravel and sand and even rock

strip mining

This mining method is used

for coal, phosphates, clays, and tar mining

Dredging

This is the process of mining materials from the bottom of a body

of water, including rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Underground mining

is used to extract the rocks, minerals and other precious

stories that can be found beneath the earth's surface

Mineral processing

the process of extracting minerals from the ore, refining

them, and preparing these minerals for use

Sampling, Analysis, Comminution, Concentration, Dewatering

Five steps to mineral processing

Sampling

is the removal of a portion which represents a whole needed for

the analysis of this material

Analysis

is important to evaluate the valuable component in an ore. This

includes chemical, mineral and particle size analysis

Comminution

is the process where the valuable components of the ore are

separated through crushing and grinding

Dewatering

uses the concentration to convert it to usable minerals. This

involves filtration and sedimentation of the suspension and drying of the solid

materials harvested from this suspension

Concentration

involves the separation of the valuable minerals from the

raw material