Energy in Earth’s Systems - Practice Flashcards

50 practice flashcards covering Earth’s four systems, energy transfer processes, interior structure, and Biosphere 2. Includes concepts like conduction, convection, radiation, density, mantle, core, xenoliths, and key drilling projects.

What are the four major Earth systems discussed in Energy in Earth’s Systems?

Geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.

What is conduction?

The transfer of energy between objects that are touching.

What is convection?

The transfer of energy by the circulation of matter due to density differences; hot rises, cool sinks.

What is radiation?

The transfer of energy as light through space or transparent substances.

What property measures how much matter is in a given volume?

Density (mass per unit volume).

How does heating affect rock density?

Heating makes rock less dense; cooling makes it denser.

What is a convection cell?

A circular pattern of rising warm material and sinking cooler material that moves energy and matter.

What is magma?

Molten rock inside Earth that has melted into a liquid.

Why does magma tend to rise toward the surface?

Because it is less dense than surrounding rock.

What is a xenolith?

Rock fragment carried up by magma, often mantle material.

What have some xenoliths revealed about the mantle?

They can contain diamonds formed deep in the mantle.

How old are mantle pieces found inside diamonds?

About 2–3 billion years old.

What are the three main layers of the geosphere?

Crust, mantle, core.

What is the crust made of and how dense is it relative to other layers?

Made mainly of oxygen, silicon, aluminum; it is the least dense layer.

Approximately how thick is continental crust?

About 35 kilometers on average.

How thick is the geosphere from the surface to the center?

About 6,370 kilometers.

What is the mantle like?

Hot, middle rock layer; dense, solid but flows slowly; rich in oxygen, magnesium, and silicon.

What is the core composed of?

Iron and nickel; the densest and hottest part of Earth.

What is the rough distance from the bottom of the mantle to Earth’s center?

About 3,470 kilometers.

What drives the cycling of rock material in the geosphere?

Energy outward from Earth’s interior and gravity pulling toward the center; rock moves by convection.

What energy transfer moves energy outward from Earth’s interior?

Conduction.

How do rocks move in the mantle despite being solid?

By convection—the mantle slowly flows due to heating and density differences.

What is the hydrosphere?

All of Earth’s water: oceans, lakes, rivers, groundwater, glaciers, ice caps, clouds, and water vapor.

What is the Sun’s role in hydrosphere cycling?

Main energy source driving the cycling of water.

What percentage of Earth’s water in the hydrosphere is salt water?

About 97%.

Where is most of Earth’s fresh water located?

In glaciers and groundwater.

How thick is the hydrosphere?

About 20 kilometers.

What drives the global circulation of ocean water?

The Sun, winds, and gravity causing convection and currents.

How is solar energy transmitted to Earth?

By radiation.

Why is equatorial ocean water warmer near the surface?

More solar energy at the equator warms the surface water, making it less dense.

How are polar deep ocean currents formed?

Cooling and sinking of dense water near the poles, driving deep currents.

What drives energy and matter transfer in the atmosphere?

Solar energy, convection, and Earth’s gravity.

What are the main components of the atmosphere?

Nitrogen and oxygen, with small amounts of argon, carbon dioxide, and water vapor.

How high does the atmosphere extend?

About 10,000 kilometers; density decreases gradually toward space.

What causes weather patterns on Earth?

Interactions among the atmosphere and hydrosphere, solar energy, and gravity via convection cells.

What is the biosphere?

All living things and the parts of Earth where they live.

Where does energy in the biosphere originate?

The Sun.

How are energy and matter cycled in the biosphere?

Through food chains from producers to herbivores to carnivores and decomposers.

What is a producer?

Organisms that capture solar energy to make their own food (plants).

What is a herbivore?

An organism that eats plants.

What is a carnivore?

An organism that eats other animals.

What is a decomposer?

An organism that breaks down dead matter and waste to recycle nutrients.

What is Biosphere 2?

A 3.14-acre artificial biosphere in Oracle, Arizona, built in the 1980s; a closed system with a rainforest, desert, ocean, swamp, savanna, and farm; about 3,800 species.

Why was Biosphere 2 built?

To model Earth’s biosphere and test humans’ ability to colonize space.

What problem arose in Biosphere 2 after about sixteen months?

Oxygen levels declined significantly.

What caused the oxygen depletion in Biosphere 2?

Bacteria decomposing organic matter using oxygen.

Who proposed that Earth’s core has a solid inner core and a liquid outer core?

Inge Lehmann.

What evidence supported Lehmann’s solid inner core idea?

Seismic waves bending in a way that indicated a solid inner core.

What is the significance of mantle xenoliths found with diamonds?

They provide clues about mantle composition and conditions; diamonds form under high temperature and pressure in the mantle.

What is the Kola Peninsula mantle drilling attempt and its outcome?

An early attempt to drill through the crust; it took more than 20 years to reach about 12 km, far from the mantle.

What is Atlantis Bank and why is it important?

An IODP drilling site in the Indian Ocean with the goal of reaching mantle; by early 2016, about 789 m had been drilled toward the mantle.