Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region I
Division of Ilocos Sur
SELF LEARNING KIT IN
IN SCIENCE
EARTH & LIFE
11/12
LESSON TITLE: THE EARTH’S FOUR SUBSYSTEMS
_______________________________________________________
Name of Teacher –Writer: JUDY D. DUMAWA
School: SANTIAGO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
1
1
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The Earth is able to support life because it has four major subsystems or
spheres that work together keeping us alive.
These four major subsystems or four spheres are the following Geosphere
Biosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere. Together, these four spheres contain all
matter that is found on our planet.
Here is a checklist of what you are going to need to do in this self-learning
kit.
□ Read and understand the learning competency of your self-learning kit.
□ Perform the short pre-assessment activity.
□ Proceed to the discussion / learning proper.
□ Pay attention to the generalization part of your self-learning kit.
□ Perform the post–assessment activity.
- Goodluck!
Explain that the Earth consists of four subsystems, across
whose boundaries matter and energy flow.
(S11/12ES -Ia-e-4)
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The following can be observed in the environment.
Identify the images below and write your answer on the
space provided for.
1. From your answers, what do you think is/are the
connection/s of the illustrations to one another?
Elaborate your answer.
_________________________________________
___
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The grass needs a landmass to anchor itself, water to grow
and atmosphere that keeps heat and shelters the plant from the
radiations of the sun. These three items, the mountain, the water,
and the atmosphere are essential to the survival of the grass.
The interconnectedness of all of them though provides us
an insight into the complex interactions that occur in our planet.
In the previous lesson about earth, you have learned that the Earth is the only
planet that supports life because of its unique characteristics such as the presence of
water, essential gasses, and solid ground that enables living organisms to flourish.
These unique characteristics form the components, acting as a subsystem, which are
interacting with each other to form a unified whole. Let’s now proceed to explore the
different subsystems of the Earth.
The Four Subsystems of the Earth
1. GEOSPHERE
Also known as the lithosphere, the
geosphere is the solid part of the earth made
up of the ground, rocks and minerals forming
of the Crust and the Outer Mantle. The soil is
also a part of the geosphere. The four
subsystems work together to be able to
produce the soil that we most of the time take
for granted.
Beaches,
canyons,
mountains,
volcanoes, from the smallest grain of sand to
the biggest boulder, these are all members
of the geosphere. It is important to note that
all members of the geosphere are non-living.
Living things belong to other subsystems, the
biosphere!
Figure 1.2 Layers of the Earth
The
geosphere
defines
our
environment by controlling the distribution of
minerals, rocks and soils and also generates
natural hazards, like volcanic eruption that
shape land and impact human life.
Figure 1.2 Volcanic eruption
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2. BIOSPHERE
All living organisms on Earth,
including those on the land, in the water
and in the air belongs to the biosphere.
The biosphere is made up of many
different biomes. Biomes are regions that
have similar kinds of plants, animals and
other living organisms that have adapted
to a particular kind of regions, terrains and
climate.
Grasslands, desserts, forests and
wetlands. All of these belongs to
biosphere. You always have to remember
that biosphere only includes all living
organisms found in these places. Figure 2
shows a herd of deer on a grassland. Can
you identify the members of the biosphere
in figure 2?
Figure 2. Deer on the prairie
3. HYDROSPHERE
Hydrosphere is waters on
Earth, including subsurface and
atmospheric water.
This means that every single
drop of water that you drink belongs
to this subsystem. And also, all water
that is underground hidden beneath
the Earth’s surface.
Figure 3 Water cycle
Figure 3 Water cycle
All fresh water and salt water are included in the hydrosphere, including
those trapped in the glaciers as ice. There is also water in the air, which falls
as snow and or rain. Water is an essential element for the sustenance of life
but we are now faced with great challenges involving water. Dead rivers are
everywhere. And most of the time, the reason is anthropomorphic, meaning manmade.
Can you name some bodies of water in your locality? For example in Sta.
Maria there is the famous Pinsal falls.
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4. ATMOSPHERE
Taken from the Greek word Amos
meaning air. The atmosphere is a
subsystem that includes all the gasses of
our planet. The
atmosphere blankets
the planet like a protective layer. And it is
split up in many different layers. The
atmosphere is the thin gaseous layer that
envelopes the lithosphere. The present
atmosphere is composed of 78% nitrogen
(N), 21% oxygen (O2), 0.9% argon, and
trace amount of other gases.
LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
Figure 4. The layers of the atmosphere
1. Troposphere
The lowest layer of the
atmosphere. Here is also where
most types of clouds and weather are found. It extends from the surface of the
earth upwards to about 10 kilometers. Air is warmest at the bottom of the
troposphere and it gets cold as you go higher the troposphere.
2. Stratosphere
This layers starts at about 10 kilometers above the surface of
the Earth to an altitude of about 50 kilometers. The Ozone layer is found in the
stratosphere. The atmosphere is very dry and contains very little vapor.
Commercial jet fly in the lower stratosphere area.
3. Mesosphere
This layers starts at about 50 kilometer that extends up to an
altitude of 85 kilometers. As you go higher the altitude the temperature drops
colder. The coldest temperature in the atmosphere is recorded at this layer at
about –90 degree Celsius. Most meteors vaporize in mesosphere.
4. Thermosphere This layer starts at about 90 kilometers upwards to between
500 and 1000 kilometers above Earth. Most X-ray and UV radiation from the
sun is absorbed in thermosphere.
5. Exosphere
At around 190, 000 kilometers above the Earth that extends
up to space. Beyond exosphere is already the space.
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EXAMPLES
The many different interactions of the geosphere, hydrosphere,
atmosphere and biosphere provide us a plethora of natural
phenomena like the formation of soil, the magnificent formation of
rainbows, the unworldly appearance of aurora borealis and the
massive destruction of tsunamis. Our world is an exciting planet
because of the different interactions of the four subsystems.
1. Formation of Soil
Soil is formed by the interaction of the
four subsystems, in which large sizes of
rocks are pulverized into smaller particles in
a long period of time.
As rocks are exposed to heat during
daytime and then cold temperature at night,
rocks undergo a process of expansion and
contraction due to the rise and fall of the
temperature. This expansion and contraction
of rocks result in the formation of cracks.
As cracks occur on surface of rocks,
water enters the cracks. The water in the
crack freezes and expands in volume helping
widen the cracks in rocks.
Figure 5.1 Rock expands
when exposed to heat
and then contracts at
night
time
when
temperature cools down
causing the rock to crack.
Lichen also produce a substance that
will help breakdown rocks into smaller
particles.
The rocks then become smaller and
smaller in size and they become sediments.
Sediments are very small particles of rocks
The different processes that help
breakdown rocks to smaller pieces is called
weathering.
Along coastal landscapes, the
constant battering of waves help break rocks
into smaller pieces, also creating cliffs, caves
and arche formations along the shore.
The formation of soil is an
amalgamation of the different processes that
includes Geosphere (rocks), Hydrosphere
(Water) the decaying animals(biosphere).
and the cos
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Figure 5.2 As rocks
are
exposed
to
weathering,
rocks
are
chipped,
pulverized
and
become smaller in
size.
Figure 5.3 Decaying organic
matter is also added to the
sediments to form soil.
2. The Appearance of Rainbow
As water (belonging to hydrosphere)
is evaporated, it travels up the atmosphere
where it condenses into small droplets of
water and forms clouds (belongs to the
atmosphere). Take note, the tiny droplet of
water forms clouds, and clouds belong to the
atmosphere.
As the sun shines through the tiny
droplets of water forming the clouds, the act
as a small prism and breaks the sun’s white
light into a band of seven colors, and that is
when you see a rainbow!
Trivia Time!
Did you know, that the rainbow is actually a
full circle. But since we are only looking at it
from the ground, we generally just see the
half of it.
Figure 6. The light from the sun
is refracted by water droplets
showing the different colors of
white light as rainbow.
3. The Occurrence of Tsunamis
The surface of the Earth is composed
of Tectonic Plates, these plates are like a
jigsaw puzzle that combine together to form
the landmass that we live on.
These plates move but they move oh
so slowly we do not notice them, and if we
do, we call them an earthquake.
Sudden movement of tectonic plates
under the ocean and seas can be
catastrophic as this creates a disturbance to
the water creating a tidal wave, or a giant
wave that is devastating to the community
along the seashores.
The interaction of the tectonic plates
(geosphere) and the ocean (hydrosphere)
which causes the tsunami is just one of the
many interactions of the different subsystems
of the Earth.
Figure 7. The development of a
tsunami due to earthquake
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Activity # 1
Directions: Classify the following items according to the four
subsystems of the Earth. Write your answer on the table below.
Geosphere
Biosphere
Hydrosphere
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Atmosphere
Activity # 2. Think & Pair
ANALOGY: Encircle the letter that best represents each subsystem.
1. Geosphere : Biosphere
a. Rocks : Sand
c. Oxygen : Bird
b. Sand : Scorpion
d. Water : Fish
2. Biosphere : Hydrosphere
a. Mountain : Snake
c. Turtle : Water
b. Crocodile : Ground
d. Lake : River
3. Biosphere : Biosphere
a. Tree : Ground
c. Turtle : Ocean
b. Scorpion : Sand
d. Flower : Bee
4. Hydrosphere : Atmosphere
a. Lake : Bird
c. Raindrops : Clouds
b. Snow : Ice
d. Polar Bear : Arctic Sea
5. Geosphere : Hydrosphere
a. Beach : Fish
c. Canyon : Lake
b. Dessert : Scorpion
d. Fish : Sea
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1. The earth is made up of four subsystems or four spheres.
Geosphere
-
The solid part of the Earth.
Biosphere
-
The living organisms on Earth.
Hydrosphere -
The liquid part of the Earth
Atmosphere -
The gaseous layer enveloping the
Earth.
2.
Soil formation, the appearance of rainbow and the
occurrence of tsunami is due to the interaction of the different
subystems.
Take a look around you and make a description report
about your environment.
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
What is the main problem in your environment?
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
How can you protect the environment from different
human activities?
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
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Multiple Choice: Encircle the letter of the correct answer.
1. Which of the four subsystems is the solid part of the Earth?
a. Atmosphere
b. Biosphere
c. Geosphere
d. Hydrosphere
2. Which layer of the atmosphere do commercial jets commonly fly?
a.
3.
Exosphere
b. mesosphere
c. Stratosphere
d. Troposphere
c. Geosphere
d. Hydrosphere
In which subsystem do rivers belong?
a. Atmosphere
b. Biosphere
4. Animals and plants belong to what subsystem?
a. Atmosphere
b. Biosphere
c. Geosphere
d. Hydrosphere
5. Rock, sand and soil belong to what subsystem?
a. Atmosphere
b. Biosphere
c. Geosphere
d. Hydrosphere
6. A layer of the atmosphere that extends to space.
a. Exosphere
b. Mesosphere
c. Stratosphere
d. Troposphere
7. What is most likely to cause an Earthquake?
a. Sun
b. Ocean
c. Tectonic Plates d. Rain
8. Choose which item does not belong to the group.
a.
Beach
b. Canyon
c. Volcanoes
d. Lake
9. Arrange the following statements to produce a rainbow
I.
Water evaporates to form tiny droplets in the atmosphere.
II.
Sun shines through the clouds.
III.
Tiny droplets refract the visible light.
a.
III, I, II
b. I, II, III
c. II, I, III
d. I and III only
10. Which statement will lead to the process of formation of soil?
I.
Rocks expand due to changes in temperature
II.
Rain refracts sunlight revealing the different colors of white light.
III.
Remnants of decaying organic matter is mixed to sediments.
IV.
Raindrops batter rocks during precipitation.
a.
I and II
b. I, II and III
c. I, III and IV d. I, II, III and IV
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Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region I
Division of Ilocos Sur
SELF LEARNING KIT IN
IN SCIENCE
EARTH & LIFE
11/12
LESSON TITLE: THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF
COMMON ROCK-FORMING MINERALS
_______________________________________________________
Name of Teacher –Writer: JUDY D. DUMAWA
School: SANTIAGO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
13
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In your previous self-learning kit, you learned about the four major subsystems of
the Earth namely, the Geosphere, the Hydrosphere, the Atmosphere and the Biosphere.
Can you identify as to which subsystem rocks belong? You are correct! Rocks
belong to Geosphere subsystem.
Today you shall focus your attention to different common rock forming minerals.
Here are the checklists of what you are going to need to do in this self-learning kit.
□ Read and understand the objectives of your self-learning kit.
□ Perform the short pre-assessment activity.
□ Proceed to the discussion / learning proper.
□ Pay attention to the generalization part of your self-learning kit.
□ Perform the post–assessment activity.
- Goodluck!
Specific Objectives:
Identify common rock-forming minerals using their
physical and chemical properties
(S11/12ES -Ia-9).
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Write your favorite makeup, gadget, food and school
material in the hexagonal boxes below. On the other
hexagonal box beside your favorite items, write the
significance of these materials to your life. (Write
your answers on your notebook)
___________
Significance of
this material to
you.
Write your favorite
gadget here
Significance
of this
material to
you.
Write your
favorite school
material here
Favorite
makeup
Write your favorite
makeup here
Significance
of this
material to
you.
___________
Favorite
gadget
___________
Favorite drink
Write your favorite
drink here
____________
Favorite school
material
Significance
of this
material to
you.
1. Do you have anymore favorite items that you would like to add to the
list?
2. If so, write it here and tell us why you like using/having it.
15
Nowadays, we use many products that help us with our tasks, a
laptop or a smartphone for work, or a smart television and Xbox for our
entertainment. Technology and industrial development have showered
us with variety of modern gears to use in our daily lives.
However, have you ever wondered how
manufactured? Or what materials they were made of?
they
were
The Philippines is rich in mineral resources. Gold, iron ore, lead, zinc and
copper are mined from Luzon and Mindanao. Limestones, gypsum, phosphate and
silica are present in Visayas. Petroleum and natural gas are being extracted in
Malampaya gas field in the offshore of Palawan.
Minerals are a hot commodity in the manufacturing sector because
minerals are used to manufacture all products sold in the market today.
The presence of these minerals provides an essential source of income to
the people located in those particular areas where the minerals are mined.
Minerals are present in everywhere and everything that we use. It is
therefore essential to study the different physical properties or characteristics of
minerals because we can use these minerals to create innovative products to use
in our day to day lives.
Physical Properties of Common Rock-Forming Minerals
1. CLEAVAGE
The cleavage of the minerals is its
capacity to split more readily in certain directions
than in others, due to the arrangement of atoms.
Some minerals such as mica have perfect
cleavage in one direction.
When a crystal breaks, it is due to
fracturing or cleaving, there will be a split along
a smooth plane, and it occurs due to the
structural weakness, meaning the internal
molecular arrangement of that particular area
of the crystal is weak, and that causes a crack.
Figure 1. Cleavage in
different directions
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2. FRACTURE
Fracture and cleaving are almost the
same, the only difference is that cleaving
happens at a plane area of a crystal and
fracture takes place in a non-plane area.
Cleaving is almost a perfect crack, but a
fracture is not a smooth one, it is rough and
not
uniform.
Fracture also occurs due to the
structural weakness, meaning the internal
molecular structure of the particular crystal
in that particular area is weak and that
causes a crack.
Figure 2. Fractured granite
3. FORM
The internal atomic arrangement of a
mineral which is manifested outwardly by
development of geometrical shapes or crystal
characters. The following terms can be used to
describe the form of a mineral.
3.1 Crystallized: When the mineral occurs in
the form of well-defined crystals with crystal
faces and angles, and it shows perfect
cleavage.
3.2 Crystalline: When well defined crystal are
absent but mineral shows a clear tendency
towards crystallization as evidence by
development of small grains.
3.3 Amorphous: Neither a crystal face nor a
cleavage is seen. There is no evidence of
orderly arrangement of atoms.
Figure 3.1 Showing the internal
atomic arrangements of minerals
Figure 3.2 Quarts
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4. STRUCTURE
Minerals occurs in characteristic body
forms or physical shapes. The physical makes
up of a mineral is expressed by the term
structure.
Structure merely shows the habit in
which the crystal or crystalline substance
making a mineral tend to occur in nature. The
following are just two of the many forms a
crystal may take.
4.1 Tabular: The mineral occurs in the form of
flattened, square, rectangular or rhombohedral
shape. Flattening is more observed rather than
lengthwise elongation. Examples are Calcite
and barite.
Figure 4.1 Orthoclase
feldspar in tabular form.
4.2 Fibrous: When the mineral is composed of
fibres, generally separable, either quite easily
(asbestos) or with some difficulty (gypsum).
Figure 4.6 shows the many different
forms of crystal habits a crystal may take.
Figure 4.2 Gypsum is soft
enough to enough to bend under
the pressure of the hand
Figure 4.3 Crystal habits
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5. LUSTRE
Simply put, lustre is the shine of the mineral. Or, it is the intensity of reflection
of light from the mineral surface.
The lustre of a mineral depends at least on three conditions.
1. The refractive index of the mineral
2. The absorption (of light) capacity of the mineral
3. The nature of the reflecting surface
You may use the following terms to describe a mineral’s lustre qualitatively.
1. Metallic - resembles know metals. Example is galena.
2. Adamantine – luster of diamonds and is very brilliant. Example is
diamond.
3. Vitreous – Shine typical of glass or ice. Example is quartz
4. Pearly – Shine of pearls. Example is labrodite
5. Silky – Shine of pure silk. Example is gypsum
6. Resinous – Shine is oily, waxy or greasy. Example is nepheline.
6. COLOUR
When a spectrum of light hits a rock, some
wavelengths of the spectrum of light are
absorbed, while some are reflected. The
reflected wavelength then hits our eyes, and we
perceive the colors of the rock. Depending on
the molecular structure of the mineral crystals,
wavelengths of light is reflected accordingly and
that’s when we perceive the colors are green or
red or any color. Do you find the color of the rock
on you right attractive?
Figure 5. Crystal colors
Minerals may belong to any of the three classification on the basis of color.
1. Idiochromatic – Having a characteristic, fairly constant color due to the
composition of mineral. Example is Copper and other metallic minerals.
2. Allochromatic – Having a variable color, the variety of color is due to minute
quantities of coloring impurities thoroughly dispersed in the mineral
composition. Examples are quartz, calcite, fluorite and many other
nonmetallic minerals.
3. Pseudochromatic – Pseudochromatic showing a false color. When a
mineral is rotated in hand, it shows a set of colors in succession. This
change or play of color is due to simultaneous reflection and refraction from
the mineral surface due to minute inclusions of impurities in the mineral.
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7. STREAK
It is the color of the mineral
substance when tested on a porcelain
streak plate.
It is an important and
diagnostic property of many colored
minerals.
Two minerals that have two similar
colors on the outside may have different
colors when they are powdered.
Figure 6. The streak of two minerals
Cinnabar and Pyrite on a porcelain
streak plate
8. TRANSPARENCY
When a light passes through an object, it is called transparent. When a light
diffuses through an object, it is called translucent. When a light does not pass
through at all, it is called opaque. Some minerals are transparent and some minerals
are opaque or translucent. The degree of transparency depends on the thickness of
the mineral.
9. SPECIFIC GRAVITY
It is the comparison on the ratio of a weight of a mineral to the ratio of an equal
volume of water.
How to test for the specific gravity
While the test for specific gravity value is complicated, the simplified version for
testing specific gravity of single minerals is put here.
1. The weight of the beaker and the specimen are individually taken using
scale.
2. The beaker is partially filled with water.
3. The mineral is put into the beaker with water.
4. The water level before the specimen was put in and after it was put in is
recorded.
5. The mineral is taken out, water is also spilled out.
6. The beaker is filled with water equal to the amount of water the specimen
displaced. (The difference in weight of the beaker when it was empty and
the current measurement, the beaker with the displaced water, is the weight
of the displaced water)
7. The weight of the displaced water has the same volume as the specimen,
but different mass.
8. The weight of the specimen is divided by the weight of the displaced water.
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10. HARDNESS
It is the measure of the
minerals
resistance to scratching. Friedrich Mohs
developed a scale of hardness used in
determining the relative hardness of
different minerals. In Mohs
Hardness
Scale, we can see that talc is a very soft
mineral with a hardness level of 1 when
compared to diamonds. The image on the
side illustrates Mohs Hardness Scale
showing talc at level 1 and diamond at level
10 of hardness. Softer minerals can be
scratched by harder minerals because
forces that holds its crystals together are
weaker and can be broken by harder
minerals. Makes sense why diamond is
used in cutting hard rocks.
Figure 7. Mohs Hardness Scale
TRIVIA!
If your phone screen is scratch resistant, it probably is made of
Corning Gorilla Glass. Gorilla Glass is a glass made from a material called alkalialuminosilicate, which is formed by bonding aluminum, silicone and oxygen
together. It’s not a material you’d find anywhere in nature. Corning started its
development in mid-2005. It was designed to be resistant to damage and
scratches, lightweight, and thin (0.4 mm thick).
21
Activity #2: Am I relatable?
DIRECTION: Identify the ten properties of properties of minerals by relating the
images below to the properties they represent. (Write your answers on your
notebook) Goodluck!
2
1
3
4
6
5
7
8
9
10
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The physical characteristics of common rock forming
minerals are the following:
1. Form
2. Cleavage
3. Fracture
4. Lustre
5. Colour
6. Streak
7. Transparency
8. Hardness
9. Structure
10. Specific Gravity
Minerals are in everything we use. As such they are an
essential substance to our everyday lives.
Wonder around your house and discover at least 8 minerals
you are using at home.
Note that a mineral may only be used twice.
For example, Copper for electrical wires of televisions.
1. ______________________________________
2. ______________________________________
3. ______________________________________
4. ______________________________________
5. ______________________________________
6. ______________________________________
7. ______________________________________
8. ______________________________________
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Multiple Choice: Encircle the letter of the correct answer. (Write your answers on
your notebook)
1. What property is determined by comparing the ratio of a weight of a mineral to
the ratio of an equal volume of water.
b. Color
b. Hardness c. Streak
d. Specific Gravity
2. What property is expressed due to the structural weakness of the molecular
arrangement causing a split along smooth plane?
a. Color
b. Cleavage c. Lustre
d. Streak
3. What property of mineral is determined by the color of substance when it has
been grounded to fine powder?
a. Color
b. Density
c. Lustre
d. Streak
4. What property is identified by determining whether a light can or cannot pass
through?
a. Hardness
b. Lustre
c. Structure
d. Transparency
5. The measure of minerals resistance to scratching is determined by what
property?
a. Hardness
b. Lustre
c. Structure
d. Transparency
6.
Fibrous, tabular, radial are terms to describe what characteristic of a mineral?
a. Structure b. Lustre
Hardness
d. Specific Gravity
7.
Allochromatic : Quartz
Idiochromatic : __________
a. Calcite
b. Fluorite c. Tourmaline
d. Copper
8. You are to identify the property of a rock by simply looking at it, no touch. What
possible properties can you identify?
I.
Color
II. Streak
III. Transparency IV. Lustre
a. I only
b. I, II and III c. III only
d. I, III, and IV
9. What can be said of the window, if you can see through clearly from the outside?
I. The window is transparent
III. The window is translucent
II. The window is opaque
a. I only
b. II only
c. I and II
d. I and III
10.
Which of the following statements are valid?
I.
Talc is level 1 on Mohs hardness scale
II.
Gypsum is harder than calcite
III.
Diamond can scratch a quartz
IV.
Fluorite is harder than gypsum.
a.
I and II
b. I, II and IV c. I, III, and IV
d. I, II, III and IV
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