EARTH SCIENCE 14.04 – Discuss earth science and its relation to the environment

EARTH SCIENCE

• A science that deals with the earth and the area surrounding it

• Areas of Earth Science• Geology• Hydrology• Oceanography• Meteorology • Astronomy• Seismology• Geophysics

GEOLOGY

• Study of the structure of the solid part of the Earth and how the Earth was formed.

HYDROLOGY

• Study of water found in the land areas of the earth

OCEANOGRAPHY

• Study of water found in the oceans.

METEOROLOGY

• Study of all aspects of the Earth’s atmosphere.

ASTRONOMY

• Study of the universe beyond the Earth

SEISMOLOGY

• Study of seismic waves or movements produced by earthquakes or explosions

GEOPHYSICS

• Deals with the physics of the Earth.

EARTH SCIENCE

• Importance • Includes major areas of natural environment • Includes both materials and natural events• Natural materials make life, as we know it, possible

EVOLUTIONARY DEVELOPMENT

• Evolution• Process of growth,

development, and change

• Earth in Outer Space• Outer Space – the boundless

area beyond the Earth• Universe – Everything that

exists.

EARTH SCIENCE

• Standard Cosmological Model• A theory used by scientists to explain the formation of the universe

• Universe began about 15 billion years ago from a hot dense sea of energy and matter.

• Living organisms are more recent.

EARTH SCIENCE

• Earth’s Formation• Formed from cooling of the molten material • Theory is that all land was once one mass• Mass split and formed continents.

• Continental Drift Theory

EARTH AS A PLANET • Solar System

• Made up of the sun and the planets that revolve around it

EARTH AS A PLANET

• Planet Movement• Rotation

• The spinning of the earth on its axis; takes 24 hours = one day

• Revolution• The movement of Earth in

space around the sun; one complete rotation = one year• Equinox

• Sun is directly over the equator

• Solstice • Earth’s axis tilts at the

greatest angle toward or away from the sun

• Oval orbit • Earth’s orbit is oval

shaped

EARTH AS A PLANET

• Shape and Size• Earth is round, but not a perfect sphere• Larger at the equator than at the poles

EARTH MATERIALS & THE ENVIRONMENT

• Tectonics • Study of the earth’s crust and forces that change it

EARTH MATERIALS • Lithosphere

• Three layers• Surface – outer layer is called the

crust • Oceanic crust – crust beneath ocean• Continental crust – part on land• Sea level – the point at which the

surface of the water and land naturally meet

• Mantle • Located between the crust and the

core

• Core • Center of the Earth

EARTH MATERIALS• Hydrosphere • All the water on the Earth, which includes

liquid, frozen, and gaseous forms

• Hydrologic Cycle• Circulation of water from one part of the

hydrosphere to another • Process cleans and restores water for future

use

• Oceans• All oceans connect to form one global

concern• Big influence on our environment• Major roles in climate• Homes for fish, seaweed, and other aquatic

life• Action of water changes land areas

EARTH MATERIALS • Hydrosphere

• Rivers and lakes usually contain freshwater• Ground water

• Water beneath the Earth’s surface• Formed by rain, melted snow, and other water sources • Water may form an aquifer

• Underground stream or pool in sand or gravel layers

EARTH MATERIALS

• Atmosphere• Air that surrounds the Earth

• Contents• Air

• Mixture of gasses: nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and others

• Other materials• Water (humidity) and particulate

(particles)

ATMOSPHERE• Four layers

• Troposphere • First layer next to the Earth• Gasses and Weather

• Stratosphere • Above the troposphere, about 30 miles above the earth• Contains ozone layer

• Filters out harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun

• Mesosphere • Third layer extending about 50 miles above the Earth • Cold layer of atmosphere• Winds blow west to east in the winter and east to west in the summer

• Thermosphere • Uppermost layer of the Earth’s atmosphere

EARTH MOVEMENT • Surface Movement• Water changes the Earth’s surface• Weathering

• Chemical and physical process that changes solid rock into small particles• Glacial action

• Masses of snow and ice that move slowly over the land• Wind

• Natural horizontal air movement

EARTH MOVEMENT

• Internal Movements• Plate tectonics

• Plates on the Earth’s surface that move

• Earthquakes • Shaking of the round caused by

movement in large sections of the Earth’s crust

• Volcanoes • Opening in the Earth through

which ashes, steam, and lava are expelled

• Tsunamis • A large wave of water caused by

an earthquake or volcanic eruption near the water.

EARTH MOVEMENT

• Atmospheric Movement• Planetary Winds

• Air movements that affect the entire planet• Local winds

• Winds that are confined to a local area; sea and land breezes.

USING CARTOGRAPHY

• Act of map making

• Map• An image of some type that

represents an attribute of the Earth

• Types of Maps• Globe• Projection• Bathymetry• Topography• Thematic• Inventory • Navigation

CARTOGRAPHY MAPS

• Globe• A round map

• Projection• Represents round earth’s features on

a flat map

• Bathymetry • Shows measurements of water depth

in large bodies of water

CARTOGRAPHY MAPS

• Topography • Shows elevations of the land areas of the Earth

• Thematic• Shows specific features of the Earth, such as areas of forest or human

population

• Inventory • Deals with a specific feature and its exact location

• Navigation• Shows the routes to take from one location to another.

CARTOGRAPHY

• Remote Sensing and Other Systems• Gathering and recording information from a distance

• Satellites are used to gather information

• GPS• Global Positioning System • Uses satellites to accurately locate positions on the Earth

• Aerial photos are also used to record information

• Onboard mapping systems in motor vehicles utilize GPS and satellites to establish locations.