4-Lithosphere-Hydrosphere-Biosphere-Atmosphere EARTH SYSTEMS 4-Lithosphere-Hydrosphere-Biosphere-Atmosphere

LITHOSPHERE Consists of 4 layers: The Crust- 2 types Continental (Granite) Oceanic (Basalt) Is broken into plates which float on the next layer creating plate boundaries

Plate Tectonics Theory The lithosphere is divided into a number of large and small plates and the plates are floating on the mantle

Lithosphere = the Earth’s crust plus the upper portion of the mantle layer

Plate motion based on The Global Positioning System (GPS)

Plate Boundaries Divergent boundary: Plates are moving away from each other Midocean ridges are created and new ocean floor plates are created

Plate Boundaries Divergent boundary:

Leif the Lucky Bridge Bridge between continents in Reykjanes peninsula, southwest Iceland across the Alfagja rift valley, the boundary of the Eurasian and North American continental tectonic plates.

Convergent Boundary: plates are moving toward each other and are colliding (3 types)

When Ocean Plates collide with Contintental Plates Create subduction zones, trenches Create near coast volcanoes Benioff shear zones (a pattern of earthquakes as an ocean plate grinds down the underneath side of a continent)

Benioff Shear Zones

When ocean plates collide with other ocean plates Island arcs are created (a pattern of volcanic islands created from a subduction zone that is located off the coast)

When a continental plate collides with another continental plate Mountain ranges are created (example: Himalayan Mountains)

Himalayan Mountains Mountains 2:46

Transform Fault Boundary Plates are neither moving toward nor away from each other, they are moving past one another.

Transform Fault Boundary The plates may move in opposite directions or in the same directions but at different rates and frequent earthquakes are created (example: San Andreas Fault)

San Andreas Fault

LITHOSPHERE The next layer is the Mantle: (Peridote) It is divided into two parts Upper Mantle (Athenosphere) molten rock that has convection currents which move the plates. Lower Mantle: rigid rock

Plate Tectonics Tectonic plate Collision between two continents Oceanic tectonic Spreading center Ocean trench Plate movement Continental crust Subduction zone Oceanic Mantle Inner core Hot outer Two plates move towards each other. One is subducted back into the mantle on falling convection current. convection cell Hot material rising through the mantle Material cools as it reaches the outer mantle Cold dense material falls back through Plate Tectonics Inner core

HYDROSPHERE The water in Earth’s oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and glaciers as well as the water in the atmosphere. 97% is salt water in the oceans 3% is fresh water in glaciers, lakes, rivers and underground aquifers Water is continually circulated on the Earth

The Water Cycle 28

The Water Cycle Describes the movement of water on, in, and above the earth Water is always changing and moving from one place to another This cycle is made up of a few main parts: Precipitation Infiltration Runoff Transpiration Evaporation Water Vapor Condensation Collection

What is the water cycle? The repeating change of water on the Earth creates a cycle As water goes through its cycle, it can be a solid (ice), a liquid (water), or a gas (water vapor) Ice can change to become water or water vapor Water can change to become ice or water vapor Water vapor can change to become ice or water.

Precipitation Happens when the temperature and the atmospheric pressure are right The small droplets of water in clouds form larger droplets and precipitation occurs. The raindrops fall to earth. Occurs when so much water has condensed that the air cannot hold it anymore The clouds get heavy and water falls back to the earth in the form of rain, hail, sleet or snow Click the speaker below to hear rain falling

Forms of Precipitation Rain: Sleet: Snow: Hail:

Infiltration Important process where rain water soaks into the ground, through the soil and underlying rock layers The flow of water from the ground surface into the ground Once infiltrated, the water becomes soil moisture or groundwater

Groundwater Flow Movement of water underground is called groundwater flow Groundwater slowly moves through the spaces and cracks between the soil particles on its journey to lower elevations

Runoff The movement of land water to the oceans, mainly in the form of rivers, lakes, and streams Consists of precipitation that neither evaporates, transpires nor penetrates the surface to become groundwater Excess runoff can lead to flooding, which occurs when there is too much precipitation

Transpiration Process that happens through plants As plants absorb water from the soil, the water moves from the roots through the stems to the leaves Once the water reaches the leaves, some of it evaporates from the leaves, adding to the amount of water vapor in the air.

Evaporation The process where a liquid, in this case water, changes from its liquid state to a gaseous state. The sun heats up water in rivers or lakes or the ocean and turns it into vapor or steam. The water vapor or steam then leaves the river, lake, or ocean and goes into the air.

Water Vapor Water in its gaseous state-instead of liquid or solid (ice) Totally invisible Extremely important to the weather and climate Without out it, there would be no clouds or rain or snow All of the water vapor that evaporates from the surface of the Earth eventually returns as precipitation - rain or snow

Condensation Formation of liquid drops from water vapor Occurs when a parcel of rising air expands and cools Responsible for the formation of clouds These clouds may produce precipitation, which is the primary route for water to return to the Earth's surface within the water cycle

Collection When water falls back to earth as precipitation, it may fall back in the oceans, lakes or rivers or it may end up on land When it ends up on land, it will either soak into the earth and become part of the “ground water” that plants and animals use to drink. It may run over the soil and collect in the oceans, lakes or rivers where the cycle starts all over again. 40

How Do These Changes Happen? Adding or subtracting heat makes the cycle work. If heat is added to ice, it melts. If heat is added to water, it evaporates. Evaporation turns liquid water into a gas called water vapor. If heat is taken away from water vapor, it condenses. Condensation turns water vapor into a liquid. If heat is taken away from liquid water, it freezes to become ice.

Why the Water Cycle is Important… Continued Generation of electricity from thermal power plants Waterways provide transportation Recreational activities Some people view the rivers and large lakes of this country as a part of their own identity AND MUCH MORE!!!

The Biosphere Includes all organisms on Earth as well as the environments in which they live.

The biosphere is the total of all of Earth's ecosystems It is the global ecosystem, includes Atmosphere Land All lakes and streams Ocean Biosphere is the most complex level in ecology Figure 34.2A

The biosphere is self-contained except for energy obtained from the sun and heat lost to space Characterized by patchiness Occurs in the distribution of deserts, grasslands, forests, and lakes Habitat is place where organisms live Each habitat has a unique community of species Figure 34.2B

The Carbon Cycle

THE ATMOSPHERE The blanket of gases that surrounds our planet Necessary for respiration of all living things Protect inhabitants from solar radiation and helps keep temperatures suitable for life 78% nitrogen 21 % Oxygen

The surrounding air of the Earth Atmosphere The surrounding air of the Earth Visit www.worldofteaching.com For 100’s of free powerpoints

Layers of the atmosphere There are 5 layers in the atmosphere They are the troposphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, stratosphere and the exoshpere

Troposphere This is the layer that is closest to the surface of the earth It’s elevation ranges from 0 to 10 km

Stratosphere This layer sits on top of the troposphere It’s elevation ranges from 10 km to around 25 km This layer contains the ozone layer, which protects us from harmful sunlight

Mesosphere This layer is above the stratosphere It’s elevation ranges from 25 to 100 km

Thermosphere This is the highest layer of the atmosphere It’s height ranges from 100 to 400 km This is where most small meteorites burn up and is also the location in the atmosphere that the northern lights occur (aurora borealis)

Composition of Air There are many different types of gasses in the atmosphere They include nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide and other noble gasses The gas that is most abundant is nitrogen