Earth Science, 13e
Tarbuck &
Lutgens
Introduction to Earth Science
Earth Science, 13e
Chapter 1
Stanley C. Hatfield
Southwestern Illinois
College
Warm up:
 List
your 4 vocabulary words with
definitions.
Earth Science
 Encompasses
understand


Earth
Earth’s neighbors in space
 Earth


all sciences that seek to
Science includes
Geology – literally the “study of Earth”
Oceanography – a study of the ocean
Earth Science
 Earth


Science includes
Meteorology – the study of the atmosphere
and the processes that produce weather
Astronomy – the study of the universe
People and the environment
 Environment



Surrounds and influences organisms
Physical environment encompasses water,
air, soil, and rock
Term “environmental” is usually reserved for
those aspects that focus on the
relationships between people and the
natural environment
People and the environment
 Resources



An important focus of the Earth sciences
Includes water, soil, minerals, and energy
Two broad categories
 Renewable
– can be replenished (examples
include plants and energy from water and
wind)
 Nonrenewable – metals (examples include
metals and fuels)
People and the environment
 Population


Population of the planet is growing rapidly
Rate of mineral and energy usage has
climbed more rapidly than the overall
growth of population
 Environmental

problems
Local, regional, and global
People and the environment
 Environmental

problems
Human-induced and accentuated
 Urban
air pollution
 Acid rain
 Ozone depletion
 Global warming

Natural hazards
 Earthquakes
 Landslides
People and the environment
 Environmental

problems
Natural hazards continued
 Floods
 Hurricanes

World population pressures
Scientific inquiry
 Science


Consistent
Predictable
 Goal


assumes the natural world is
of science
To discover patterns in nature
To use the knowledge to predict
Scientific inquiry

An idea can become a




Hypothesis (tentative or untested explanation)
Theory (tested and confirmed hypothesis)
Paradigm (a theory that explains a large
number of interrelated aspects of the natural
world)
Scientific method


Gather facts through observation
Formulate hypotheses and theories
Scientific inquiry
 Scientific

knowledge is gained through
Following systematic steps
 Collecting
facts
 Developing a hypothesis
 Conduct experiments
 Re-examine the hypothesis and accept,
modify, or reject


Theories that withstand examination
Totally unexpected occurrences
Early evolution of Earth
 Origin


of Earth
Most researchers believe that Earth and the
other planets formed at essentially the
same time
Nebular hypothesis
 Solar
system evolved from an enormous
rotating cloud called the solar nebula
 Nebula was composed mostly of hydrogen
and helium
Early evolution of Earth
 Origin

of Earth
Nebular hypothesis continued
 About
5 billion years ago the nebula began
to contract
 Assumes a flat, disk shape with the protosun
(pre-Sun) at the center
 Inner planets begin to form from metallic and
rocky clumps
 Larger outer planets began forming from
fragments with a high percentage of ices
The Nebular hypothesis
of Earth’s layered
Early evolution
ofstructure
Earth
 Formation

As Earth formed, the decay of radioactive elements
and heat from high-velocity impacts caused the
temperature to increase
 Iron
and nickel began to melt and sink toward the center
 Lighter rocky components floated outward, toward the
surface

Gaseous material escaped from Earth’s interior to
produce the primitive atmosphere
Earth’s “Spheres”
 Hydrosphere

Ocean – the most prominent feature of the
hydrosphere
 Nearly
71 percent of Earth’s surface
 About 97 percent of Earth’s water

Also includes fresh water found in streams,
lakes, and glaciers, as well as that found
underground
Earth’s “Spheres”
 Atmosphere


Thin, tenuous blanket of air
One half lies below 5.6 kilometers
(3.5 miles)
 Biosphere


Includes all life
Concentrated near the surface in a zone that extends
from the ocean floor upward for several kilometers into
the atmosphere
Earth’s “Spheres”
 Solid


Earth
Based on compositional differences, it
consists of the crust, mantle, and core
Divisions of the outer portion are based on
how materials behave
 Lithosphere
– rigid outer layer
 Divisions of Earth’s surface – continents and
ocean basins
Earth’s layered structure
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 composed of numerous parts, or
subsystems
 System – any size group of interacting
parts that form a complex whole
Earth system science
 System


Closed systems are self-contained
(e.g., an automobile cooling system)
Open systems – both energy and matter
flow into and out of the system
(e.g., a river system)
Earth system science
 Feedback


Negative-feedback mechanisms resist
change and stabilize the system
Positive-feedback mechanisms enhance
the system
 Earth

mechanisms
as a system
Consists of a nearly endless array of
subsystems (e.g., hydrologic cycle, rock
cycle)
Earth system science
 Earth

as a system
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

Humans are part of the Earth system
Create a visual that includes and
incorporates:
the nebular hypothesis and the
Earth’s Spheres
Describe the steps of the Nebular
Hypothesis
Describe each sphere
Warm up
 Finish
your poster!
 Name the four spheres
 Explain each sphere
8/28/13
Warm up
 Name
the four spheres
 Explain each sphere
 Get out your scavenger hunt