EAr

Earth’s spheres

Works together to make earth a livable planet

 Goldilocks zone

Distance of the Earth from the sun. Right temperature

 Earth’s Spheres

 Interacts with one another o make the Earth a livable planet.

1. Hydrosphere

Liquid part

atmosphere

gaseous envelope “Blanket” that protects the Earth. Thin life giving

 Vapors and Aerosols

responsible for the weather and climate

 Water Vapor

Needed for cloud formation

 Aerosols

Serves as a condensation nuclei

1. Troposphere

Lowest layer. T decreases with A. Where all weather phenomena occurs.

2. Stratosphere

T increases with A because of the Ozone layer.

3. Mesosphere

T decreases with A. Reaches, coldest sphere -90

4. Thermosphere

55km has no definite limit. Has the least amount of atmospheric molecules but receives most high energy radiation.

3. Geosphere

 Largest sphere of the Earth, 6,400km

1. Crust

Outmost layer of the Earth.

Types of crust

 Oceanic Crust,  Continental Crust

2. Mantle

Marked by Mohorovicic discontinuity. 82% of the Earth’s volume.

 Lithosphere

100km thick, made out of solid rocks.

 Asthenosphere

weaker region 700km thick semi

3. Core

Marked by Gutenberg Discontinuity, made out of Iron and Nickel making it very dense.

 Bullen discontinuity

Hottest part of the core.

 Outer core

Low viscosity. Liquid iron and nickel composition.

 Inner core

Solid, contains more nickel.

4. Biosphere

 Biological component of the Earth.

 Anthroposphere

Human sphere.

 Minerals

Building blocks of rocks

• Luster

Quality of the reflected light

 Metallic luster

Like metals, Shiny

 Submetallic

Dull coating

 Non metallic

Glassy, pearly, greasy

• Crystal Shape

Crystal structure.

• Mineral strength

How easy the mineral break when exposed to stress.

 Tenacity

Resistance to breaking/deforming

 Hardness

Resistance to abrasion of stress

 Cleavage

smooth n flat surface formed

 Fracture

If a mineral does not have a cleavage

• Specific gravity

Measurement done by minerologist to determine the density

Factors for Rock to melt:

Pressure, temp, water

• Decompression Melting

Decrease in pressure used to melt rocks.

• Igneous Rock

Molten rocks that crystallized.

• Magma

Molten rocks

• Partial/ Fractional Melting

When the rock is not fully melted. Each part have diff density.

• Rhyolite Extrusive

Fine

• Basalt Extrusive

Fine

• Porphyry

Intrusive

• Pegmatite

Intrusive

a. Basaltic Magma

low silica content, high temperature, low viscosity, and low gas content

b. Rhyolitic Magma

high silica content, low temperature, high viscosity, and high gas content

c. Andesitic Magma

it is made in subduction zones and is typically about 60% silica, it tends to move and erupt at

a medium pace.

• Crystallization

Formation of crystals

• Extrusive igneous rock formation

Outer

• Intrusive igneous rock formation

Inner

• Color

Depends on the mineral present in it

• Texture

Describe the overall appearance of the rock

• Aphanitic

Fine grained texture

• Phaneritic

Coarse grained texture

 Mountain Ranges to Sediments

• Mountain Ranges

Constantly interacting with the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere that can change rocks.

• Weathering

The process of disintegration and decomposition of rocks

• Regolith

Loose fragments of rocks n minerals that covers the earth surface

 Mechanical/Physical Weathering

Breaking down of rock without changing its chem composition.

o Frost wedging

Use of water that is precipitating.

o Fire

Intense heat

o Sheeting

Formation of rocks into onion like layers due to sudden release of pressure.

o Plants and burrowing animals.

 Chemical Weathering

Water is its main agent. Changes the chemical composition of rocks.

 Mass wasting/mass movement/slope movement

Large movement of rocks due to the force of gravity.

o Erosion

Smaller rocks movement moved with the help of wind,water, and ice

o Deposition

Sediments are added to a landform, via gravity and kinetic energy

o Lithification

“Lithos”=”rock” when sediments compact under pressure.

o Recrystallization

When mineral grains interlock themselves in existing rocks and grows there.

• Clastic Sedimentary rock

Rocks formed by a mixture of rocks

• Chemical sedimentary rocks

Contains materials formed by chemical precipitation

• Metamorphic rocks

Rocks that formed due to high temp and pressure.

 Contact metamorphism

When magma touches a cooler rock

 Burial metamorphism

When rocks going through metamorphism goes through high temp and uniform stress.

 Regional metamorphism

When large mass of rocks are exposed to diff stress n high temp

 Heat

Most important thing that triggers recrystallization.

 Pressure

stress, increases with depth.

 Tensional stress

Pulls apart rocks making them elongated.

 Compressional Stress¬

Squeezes rocks making them shorter

 Shear stress

Applies pressure to diff sides that would twist n crumple them.

 Brittle deformation

when the brittle parent rock deformes.

 Ductile deformation¬

when the differential stress only flattens/elongates the rock

 Chemically active fluids

Serves as a catalyst for crystallization.

 Foliation

Arrangement of crystals in the metamorphic rock

 Relative dating

Tells the sequence of events

 Law of superposition

Most basic, the rock on the top is the youngest the one in the bottom is the oldest.

 Law of original horizontality

Undeformed sequence is the one where the layers are horizontal.

 Principle of cross

cutting relationship

 Unconformities

Represents significant events that happened, deposition of rocks.

 Absolute dating

Tells the absolute/exact age of rocks.

 Radiometric dating

Technique used by absolute dating

 Radiometric isotopes

Parent isotopes element of the rock, used in radiometric dating to know the age of the rock.

 Radioactive decay

When the numbers of neutrons aren’t the same causing decay

 Half life

Amount of time it takes for half the atom of the radioactive isotope to decay.

 Isotope ratio mass spectrometer

Instrument used to measure the concentrations of isotopes.

 Fossils

Remains of living organisms

 Body fossils

Parts of organisms