1. Intro to Earth Science
Chapter 1
Section 1

2. The Study of Earth Science
Earth science body of knowledge about Earth and its place in the universe.
Seek to understand Earth and neighbors in space
Earth scientists use several use several BIG IDEAS to guide them:
Structure of Earth’s systems
Earth’s history
Earth in the solar system

3. Branches of Earth Science
Geology: study of forces that have shaped Earth
Oceanography: study of oceans
Meteorology: study of conditions of the atmosphere
Astronomy: study of universe
Geo= ground
Ocean= seawater, marine life
Meterology= weather, climate
Astromony= solar system, universe beyond

4. Formation of Earth Earth & planets formed at the same time
Nebular Hypothesis
Solar system evolved from rotating cloud called the solar nebula
Mostly hydrogen and helium
Nebula contracted
Formed flat disk with a pre-Sun (protostar) in the center
Inner planets formed from rocks and metallic clumps
Larger planets formed from
fragments with ices

5. Nebular Hypothesis

6. Earth’s Formation
Radioactive elements decayed and heat from high velocity impacts cause temperature to increase
Lighter rock components floated outward
Gaseous material produced the atmosphere

7. Intro to Earth Science
Chapter 1
Section 2

8. Earth’s Spheres 4 spheres Geosphere Hydrosphere Atmosphere Biosphere
Our course of study also discusses
Sustaining Earth’s Systems
Geo: 3 parts core, mantle, crust, mostly solid, not uniform
Hydro: oceans have 97% water of Earth, 3% freshwater
Atmos: thick blanket of air, provides air we breathe, protects us from sub
Bio: liplants and animals physical environment, interactions
Systems come together: rocks, water, air, and life

9. Earth’s Spheres Geo means Earth Hydro means water Atmo means air
Bio means life

10. Biosphere
All life
Plants, animals, fungus
protists, cacteria

11. Geosphere Earth and it’s layers Compositional differences
Crust: thin, rock outer layer
Mantle: below the crust
Core: innermost layer of Earth, below the mantle

12. Geosphere

13. Hydrosphere Water on Earth Water covers 70% of Earth 97% is salt water
Oceans and seas
3% is fresh water
Streams, lakes, rivers
Includes water vapor and frozen
water (cryosphere)

14. Atmosphere Gaseous envelope that surrounds Earth Thin blanket of air
½ lies below 5.6 kilometers
90% is concentrated within 16 km of Earth’s surface
Provides oxygen to breath
Provides carbon dioxide for photosynthesis
Provides nitrogen for protein synthesis and DNA building
Protects us from UV radiation
Produces weather and climate

15. Sustaining Earth’s Systems
Geosphere

16. Earth’s Changing Surfaces
Destructive Forces: shape Earth’s surface by wearing away high points and flattening the surface (break down Earth)
Examples: weathering, erosion
Constructive Forces: shape Earth’s
surface by raising the land and
depositing new material (depends
on Earth’s internal heat)
Examples: mountain building,
volcanism
Grand canyon wasn’t always there, mountain ranges didn’t always exist, continents were in different places

17. Changing Earth’s Surfaces
Plate tectonics: explains how continents move and earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur
Produces earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains
Outer shell broken into sections, called plates, drift slowly across Earth’s surface

18. Intro to Earth Science
Chapter 1
Section 4

19. Interacting Systems
Xk-8

20. Earth’s Systems
Earth science aims to understand Earth as a system made of interacting parts
System: group of interacting parts that form a complex whole
Driven by energy that moves matter

21. Systems
Closed systems: energy moves freely in and out of the system but does NOT leave the system
Open systems: matter flows into and out of the system
Most systems are open
Mug vs water bottle which is open and which is closed

22. Earth’s Systems in Spheres
In the biosphere the life forms have a lifespan and when they die they provide nourishment for other organisms
In the geosphere, the rocks are endlessly being broken down, then recycled into new rocks
In the hydrosphere, the water is endlessly moving, changing states and becoming refreshed.
In the atmosphere, the air is continually
rising, falling and mixing.

23. Systems Interact

24. What systems are interacting?
Biosphere and hydrosphere:
All living things require water to live.
Many animals live in the water.
Animals like beavers can alter the path of the water.

25. What systems are interacting?

26. What systems are interacting?

27. What systems are interacting?

28. Energy Sources
Sun: drives atmosphere, hydrosphere, and Earth’s surface (external process)
Earth’s interior: drives volcanoes, earthquakes, mountain building (internal process)
When a volcano erupts, there may be changes in atmosphere, biosphere, etc.
A change in one part may effect a change in another part
Humans also produce changes on Earth
Causes of change can be because of natural phenomenon or human-caused.

29. Linked Effects One thing changes many things in Earth’s system
Causes of change can be
Natural phenomena
Human caused

30. Think About It
In your table groups, come up with two examples of how changing one part of Earth’s system will affect other parts.

31. Think About It How are humans causing changes on Earth?
Which spheres are affected by climate change?
Which spheres are affected by a hole in the ozone layer? (ozone helps protect against UV radiation from the sun)
Which spheres are affected by air pollution?

32. People and the Environment
Environmental science: study of how the natural world works, how people affect the environment, and how the environment affects people
Relationship between people and the
natural environment

33. Resources Natural resource: material obtained from the Earth
Renewable resources: can be replenished over relatively short time spans
Plants, paper, wind, water, sun
Nonrenewable resources: processes
that create these resources take millions
of years
Iron, aluminum, oil, natural gas

34. Population & Environmental Problems
Human population is growing exponentially
How long before these resources run out?
Environmental Problems include
Air pollution
Acid rain
Ozone depletion
Global climate change
Earthquakes
Landslides
Acid rain: influences bio, kills animals
Ozone: protection from the sun
Global: melting of icebergs

35. Intro to Earth Science
Chapter 1
Section 5

36. Scientific Inquiry
Scientific inquiry is a process that uses a set of skills to answer questions or to test ideas about the natural world.
Engage
Explore
Explain
Evaluate
Elaborate

37. Scientific Inquiry
Assumes the natural world is: consistent & predictable
Goal: discover patterns, use knowledge to predict

38. Steps to the Scientific Method
Observation: recognize a problem
Question: question the problem. Why? How?
Research: find out as much as you can about the question
Hypothesis: educated guess (if/then statement)
possible scientific explanation for a set of observations that can be tested in ways that support or reject it.
Tentative or untested explanation
Experiment: test the hypothesis
When testing hypotheses, we use variables. In controlled experiments, one variable is
changed at a time.
Analysis: analyze data and observations
Conclusion: check if the results support or
reject your hypothesis

39. NOT Linear

41. Scientific Knowledge Fact: observations about the world around us
Hypothesis: possible explanation for something that can be tested
Scientific Theory: highly reliable explanation of a natural or physical phenomenon.
Tested, confirmed, supported
Tells WHY something happens
Supported by evidence
Used to make predictions about future events
Scientific Law: concise, specific statement
that summarizes a pattern found in
Nature (rule)
Description of HOW something
happens
Explanations from many investigations
well-established
concise, specific

42. Science Methods Knowledge is gained through steps: Collecting facts
Develop a hypothesis
Conduct experiments
Reexamine the hypothesis
Theories that withstand examination
Totally unexpected occurrences

43. Intro to Earth Science
Chapter 1
Section 3

44. Representing Earth’s Surface
Latitude: distance north or south of the equator, run east to west
Longitude: distance east or west of the prime meridian, run north to south
Measured in degrees
Equator = 0 degrees, middle of the globe
Divides world into 2 hemispheres

46. Globes Scaled model of the round Earth Relative size, scaled model
Problem with globes: bad for directions

47. Representing the Globe
No matter what kind of map is made, some potion of the surface will always be too small, too big, or out of place. Mapmakers have, however, found ways to limit the distortion of shape, size, distance, and direction.

48. Mercator Projection Lines of longitude are parallel
Grid is rectangular
Pros: directions
Cons: sizes and distances

49. Robinson Projection Pros: distances, sizes, and shapes
Cons: distortions on edges

50. Conic Projection Wrap cone of paper around globe at a line of latitude
Pros: great accuracy over small area
Cons: less accuracy further from the cone

51. Gnomonic Projection
Place paper on a globe so it touches a single point on the surface
Pros: accurate when showing distance between points
Cons: distances and directions

52. Topographic Maps Represent Earth’s 3-d surface in 2 dimensions
Show elevation using contour lines
Contour line: used to indicate elevation of land
Contour interval: difference in elevation between adjacent lines
Index contour: 5th line is bolded
Closer lines = steeper slope

53. Topographic Maps

54. Scale
Represents the relationship between distance on the map and actual distance on Earth’s surface

55. Geologic Map
Map that shows the type and age of exposed rock

56. Satellites and Information Technology
Satellites and information technology helps us become more accurate
GPS
Remote sensing: process of collecting data about Earth from a distance, such as from satellites orbiting space
Global positioning system