EARTH SCIENCE

Introduction to

Earth Science

SCIENTIFIC MEASUREMENTS

AND GRAPHING

Common

Instrument

Volume of Regular,

Rectangular Objects (a box)

Volume of Irregularly

Shaped Objects (rocks)

Mass

Distance

Time

density:

percent error (deviation):

rate of change:

What does it mean if you are asked to record your answer:

a. to the nearest tenth

b. to the nearest hundredth

c. to the nearest thousandth

one decimal place

two decimal places

three decimal places

Example: 0.1

Example: 0.01

Example: 0.001

Direct Relationship:

As one variable increases, the other __________________.

Amount of Sunlight

Photo

synth

esis

Onions Eaten

Bad B

reath

Examples

Indirect Relationship:

As one variable increases, the other __________________

Beans Eaten

People

Sitting N

ear

You

Examples

Cyclic Relationship:As one variable increases, the other

Events that are cyclic are also ___________________

Examples

No Relationship:

As one variable increases, the other __________________

My Age

Stu

nn

ing G

ood L

ooks

Examples

State in words the relationship

between relief and the average

rate of erosion as shown in the

graph.

As relief increases,

the average rate of

erosion increases

State in words the relationship

between air temperature and

relative humidity.

As the air temperature

increases, the relative

humidity decreases

What is used to make an observation?

HE

AR

After observations have

been collected.

What does it mean to

make an inference?

make an educated guess

(an hypothesis)

Give examples of how scientists

use classification systems.

Give examples of how scientists

use classification systems.

DENSITY

:

If an object has a mass of 240g

on Earth, its mass on the moon

will be (more, less, the same).

Why?

What is the formula for finding the

volume of this object?

Calculate the volume of this object to the nearest tenth of a cM3.

Show all formulas.

VOLUME of an irregularly

shaped object:

What instrument would be used to

measure the volume of an

object such as a rock?

VOLUME of an irregularly

shaped object:

Describe the process you would use.

• Put water into cylinder.

• Measure volume of water.

• Place object in cylinder.

• Re-measure volume of water.

• Subtract volumes.

DENSITY:HOW TIGHTLY PACKED

THE ATOMS ARE

DENSITY:HOW TIGHTLY PACKED

THE ATOMS ARE

DENSITY:

HOW TIGHTLY PACKED

THE ATOMS ARE

When an object is heated, it

and the atoms become

packed. Therefore the object becomes

dense.

DENSITY:

HOW TIGHTLY PACKED

THE ATOMS ARE

When an object is cooled, it

and the atoms become

packed. Therefore the object becomes

dense.

What happens to the

density of an object when

it is split into smaller parts?

why?

What is the formula for

density?

ESRT: Earth Science Reference Table –

Page 1

A rock has a mass of 240g and a volume of 12cm³.

Showing all formulas and calculations, determine the density of the rock.

The box below has a mass of 120g.

Showing all formulas and calculations,

determine the density of the box.

2.0 cm

10.0 cm

2.0 cm

If the empty container has a mass of 100g and

the filled container has a mass of 250g.

What is the density of the liquid inside?

Show all work below.

mass of liquid

250g – 100g = 150g

density of liquid

= 150g /100mL = 1.5 g/mL

density = mass/volume

Density of water:

Water is most dense at _______°C.

This is because water _______________ above

and below this temperature

4°C

4expands

Density of water:

ESRT: Earth Science Reference Table –

Page 1

Density of water:

Any material with a density

less than water will

Density of water:

Any material with a density

greater than water will

Density of water example:

If an object has a mass of 25g and a volume of

50mL, will it sink or float in liquid water?

Phases of Matter & Density

During which phase of matter (solid,

liquid, or gas) are most materials:

A balance between opposing

forces.

Small changes occur, but the overall system

stays the same.

Give a real life, earth science example of a

system that is in dynamic equilibrium.

Give a real life, earth science example of a

system that is in dynamic equilibrium.

A boundary between two things

with different properties.

Give a real-life, earth science example

of an interface.

Give three real-life, earth science, examples of cyclic events

SPHERES OF THE EARTH

1.1 What Is Earth Science?

Encompasses all sciences that seek to understand

Earth

And Earth's neighbors in space

Earth science includes

What Is Earth Science?

1. geology, the study of Earth

2. oceanography, the study of the ocean

3. meteorology, the study of the atmosphere

and the processes that produce weather

4. astronomy, the study of the universe

A View of Earth1. Hydrosphere

• Ocean is the most prominent feature of the

hydrosphere.

- Is nearly 71% of Earth's surface

- Holds about 97% of Earth's water

• Also includes fresh water found in streams,

lakes, and glaciers, as well as that found

underground

If we were to roll up all the water on earth, this small blue ball is what we

would get.

A View of Earth

2. Atmosphere

• Thin, tenuous blanket of air

• One half lies below 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles)

3. Biosphere

• Includes all life

• Concentrated near the surface in a zone that

extends from the ocean floor upward for

several kilometers into the atmosphere

4. Geosphere• Based on compositional differences, it consists of the crust,

mantle, and core.

- Mantle—the 2890-kilometer-thick

layer of Earth located below the

crust.

- Core—the innermost layer of

Earth, located beneath the

mantle.

- Crust—the thin, rocky outer layer of Earth.

Earth System Science

Closed systems are self contained

(e.g., an automobile cooling system).

Open systems allow both energy and matter

to flow in and out of the system

(e.g., a river system).

A system is any size group of interacting parts that form a complex whole.

Earth System Science Earth is a dynamic body with many

separate but highly interacting parts

or spheres.

Earth system science studies Earth

as a system that is composed of

numerous parts, or subsystems.

Earth System Science Sources of Energy

• Sun—drives external processes such as weather, ocean circulation and erosional processes

• Earth’s interior —drives

internal processes including

volcanoes, earthquakes and

mountain building

Earth System Science Consists of a nearly endless collection of

subsystemsHydrologic Cycle

Carbon Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle

What is environmental science?

Environment - Surrounds and

influences organisms•

• Physical environment encompasses water,

air, soil, and rock

• environmental science - study of

relationships between people and the

natural environment.

Humans are part of the Earth system.

Environmental science

Resources

• Include water, soil, minerals, and energy

• Two broad categories

2. Nonrenewable—cannot be

replenished in the near future (e.g.,

metals, fuels)

1. Renewable—can be replenished

(e.g., plants, energy from water and

wind)

Environmental science Population

• Population of the planet is growing

rapidly

• Use of minerals/energy has climbed

more rapidly than the overall growth of

population

Environmental science

Caused by people and societies• Urban air pollution

• Acid rain

Caused by natural hazards

• Landslides

• Ozone depletion

• Global warming

• Earthquakes

Local, regional, and global

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

Earth and Environmental Scientists

• Atmospheric Scientist• Artist/ Graphic Designer• Computer Programmer• Chemist• Engineer• Forest Ranger• Geologist• Internet Designer• Lawyer• Meteorologist• Oceanographer/ Marine Biologist• Politician/ Lobbyist• Writer

LAYERS OF THE

EARTH

The Layers of the Earth

The Four LayersThe Earth is composed of four

different layers. The crust is

the layer that you live on, and it is the most widely studied

and understood. The mantleis much hotter and has the

ability to flow. The outer core and inner core are

even hotter with pressures so great you would be squeezed into a ball smaller than a marble if you were able to go to the center of the Earth!

The Crust

The Earth's Crust is like

the skin of an apple. It is very thin in comparison to the other three layers. The crust is only about 3-5 miles (8 kilometers) thick under the oceans (oceanic crust) and about 25 miles (32 kilometers) thick under the continents (continental crust).

The Lithospheric Plates

The crust of the Earth is broken into many pieces called plates. The plates "float" on the soft, semi-rigid asthenosphere.

The Asthenosphere

The asthenosphere

is the semi-rigid

part of the middle

mantle that flows

like hot asphalt

under a heavy

weight.

The Lithosphere

The crust and the upper layer of the mantletogether make up a zone of rigid, brittle rock called the Lithosphere.

The Crust

The crust is composed of two rocks. The continental crust is mostly granite. The oceanic crust is basalt. Basalt is much denser than the granite. Because of this the less dense continents ride on the denser oceanic plates.

The Mantle

The Mantle is the largest layer of the Earth. The middle mantle is composed of very hot dense rock that flows like asphalt under a heavy weight. The movement of the middle mantle (asthenosphere) is the reason that the crustal plates of the Earth move.

Convection Currents

The middle mantle "flows" because of convection currents. Convection currents are caused by the very hot material at the deepest part of the mantle rising, then cooling and sinking again --repeating this cycle over and over.

Convection Currents

The next time you heat anything like soup or water in a pan you can watch the convection currents move in the liquid. When the convection currents flow in the asthenospherethey also move the crust. The crust gets a free ride with these currents, like the cork in this illustration.

Safety Caution: Don’t get your face too close to the boiling water!

The Outer Core

The core of the Earth is like a ball of very hot metals. The

outer core is so hot that the metals in it are all in the liquid state. The outer core is composed of the melted metals of nickel and iron.

The Inner Core

The inner core of the Earth has temperatures and pressures so great that the metals are squeezed together and are not able to move about like a liquid, but are forced to vibrate in place like a solid.

The End

Find a pair or trio and answer

this question:

Have we ever seen part

of the Mantle? Explain.