Geology Chapter 1
Place these notes into your
Geology Notebook.
3/16/2016
Earth’s Four Spheres
•
•
•
•
Biosphere
Atmosphere
Geosphere
Hydrosphere
Biosphere – All living things in and on the
Earth.
Atmosphere: Mixture of gases found in
and that surround the Earth.
Geosphere: Beaches, soils, rocks,
mountains, crust, mantle and cores of
the Earth.
• Hydrosphere – Only three percent (3%)
of the Earth is freshwater. 70% of that
is frozen. The other 30% is
groundwater, lakes, soil moisture, water
vapor, or in bodies of water.
• Humans (biosphere)
built a dam out of rock
materials (geosphere).
• Water in the lake
(hydrosphere) seeps
into the cliff walls
(geosphere), behind the
dam, becoming
groundwater
(hydrosphere) or
evaporating into the air
(atmosphere).
• Humans (biosphere)
harness energy from
the water (hydrosphere)
by having it spin
turbines (geosphere) to
produce electricity.
• Volcanoes (1) erupt, sending ash and gases
into the air (2), and sending lava and ash
down onto surrounding forests (3) and human
habitations (4).
• Plants (5) draw carbon dioxide from the air
(6) and water from the hydrosphere (7); they
release oxygen and water vapor, and then
may be eaten by animals (8).
• Hurricanes (9) sweep across the ocean (10)
and onto the land (11) changing the dwellings
of people (12) who live along the coast.
• Human beings (13) drill wells into Earth’s
crust (14) to draw out groundwater (15) for
drinking and irrigation of crops (16).
Albedo
• The percentage of energy that is
reflected without being changed as it
reflects from the Earth’s surfaces.
Density
• Mass of an object divided by its volume.
• D = m/V
Volume
• The amount of space occupied by a
substance.
Atmosphere
• Gaseous envelope of air surrounding
Earth. 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1%
other gases.
• One of the four spheres of Earth.
Biosphere
• All living organisms in the Earth system
and their environments; one of the four
spheres of the Earth System.
Geosphere
• Rocks, mountains, lithospheric plates,
and other physical features of Earth,
except for water.
Hydrosphere
• All water in the Earth system, gaseous,
(water vapor) solid, (snow & ice) & liquid
(rain and water).
Carbon cycle
• Biogeochemical circulation of carbon
through the Earth system.
System
• A naturally occurring group of objects or
phenomena that share matter and
energy.
Closed system
• A system in which energy can enter or
leave, but matter cannot.
• Example: A sealed glass jar of tea.
• Example: A deep-sea submersible that
carries human researchers to great
depths.
Open system
• A system in which there is a free
exchange of both energy and matter
between the system and its
surroundings.
• Example: An island; The island reflects
sunlight (energy) back to the
atmosphere
The island may exchange sediment with
the ocean when it rains. (matter)
Cycle
• The physical or chemical processing of
Earth materials that repeats over time.
• Examples: Water cycle, Carbon cycle,
Rock cycle, and Energy cycle.
Water Cycle
Carbon Cycle
Rock Cycle
Energy Cycle
Energy cycle
• The movement of energy into and out of
the Earth system.
Geothermal energy
• Heat energy that originates from within
the Earth and drives the movements of
Earth’s tectonic plates.
Solar energy
• Energy emitted by the Sun.
Tidal energy
• Energy created by gravitational pull of
the sun and moon on Earth’s oceans.
Model
• A simplified representation of an object,
process, or phenomenon, used as the
basis for further study or investigation.
A model is a representation of an object,
process, or phenomenon.
In a closed system, the only thing that can
enter or leave is energy.
A beaker of water is heated over a
laboratory burner. This is an example of
an open system.
A test tube containing plant material and
water is sealed and left in sunlight. This
is an example of a closed system.
One reason Earth is not entirely a closed
system is because the atmosphere
loses hydrogen to space.
The gaseous envelope surrounding Earth
is called the atmosphere.
Most of Earth’s fresh water is locked up in
glacial ice.
You are considered to be part of Earth’s
biosphere.
The lava from a volcano destroying a
nearby forest is an example of the
geosphere interacting with the
biosphere.
A canyon that is formed when rocky ground
is eroded by a river is an example of the
hydrosphere interacting with the
geosphere.
Pollution from the chimney of a factory is an
example of the biosphere interacting with
the atmosphere.
Most of Earth’s liquid form of water is in
oceans.
Phytoplankton play an important role in the
carbon cycle because photosynthesis by
phytoplankton removes carbon from the
atmosphere.
A sequence of events that repeats itself is
known as a cycle.
The carbon cycle is an example of a
biogeochemical cycle.
The process of water exiting a plant through
its leaves is known as transpiration.
Energy in a system cannot be completely
recycled.
Carbon can enter the atmosphere by forest
fires, being breathed out by animals, and
released in volcanic eruptions.
The major source of Earth’s energy is
solar energy.
If the Earth took in more energy than it
released the climate would get warmer.
Give an example of how all four of Earth’s
spheres can interact with each other.
A human being (biosphere) drills an oil well
(geosphere) to make fuel and oils for cars.
Cars burn the fuel, releasing pollutants into
the air (atmosphere) that contribute to smog,
and a ship carrying the oil has an accident
and spills it over the ocean (hydrosphere)
killing many of the animals (biosphere) that
live in that part of the ocean.
Discuss different ways that people can affect
Earth’s energy budget.
Changing albedo by forest cutting, planting,
building, paving;
Increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the
air by burning fossil fuels which causes more
energy to be trapped on Earth; reducing
carbon dioxide by planting trees.