FCAT
EARTH SCIENCE
Science Review
West Broward High School
EARTH SCIENCE
SC.D.1.4.1 The student knows how climatic patterns on Earth result
from an interplay of many factors
(Earth’s topography, its rotation on its axis, solar radiation, the
transfer of heat energy where the atmosphere interfaces with lands
and oceans, and wind and ocean currents). AA
Exploring
Earth’s
Surface
Types of Landforms
Earth’s topography
• There are three main types of landforms:
plains, mountains, and plateaus.
Exploring
Earth’s
Surface
Types of Landforms
Earth’s topography
• A large area of land where the topography is
made up of mainly one type of landform is
called a landform region.
- Topographic Maps
Mapping Earth’s Topography
• Mapmakers use contour lines to represent
elevation, relief, and slope on topographic
maps.
Background Information
SPACE & TIME
• Climate is largely a result of Earth’s location
with respect from the sun.
• Earth is 93,000,000 mi from the sun.
• Seasonal climate changes occur b/c Earth’s
axis (23.5o) of rotation is tilted with respect to
the ecliptic path around the sun.
• Northern & Southern Hemispheres each
spend 6 months facing the sun directly.
Solstice
Earth’s Orbit
rotation on its axis
is the point at which the sun reaches its greatest distance north or
south of the equator. Occurs only two days out of the year.
• Summer SOLSTICE
– June 21/22 NH
– More hours of day light
– SH daylight is shorter.
• Winter SOLSTICE
–
–
–
–
December 21/22 NH
NH is tilted away from sun.
NH less sunlight
SH daytime is longer.
Angle of the Sun’s Rays
Earth’s Orbit
rotation on its axis
• Energy from the sun strikes Earth most directly
near the equator. Near the poles, the same
amount of energy is spread out over a larger area.
Energy in the Atmosphere
solar radiation
• Some sunlight is absorbed or reflected by the atmosphere. The rest
passes through to the surface.
Weather Factors- Energy in Earth’s
Atmosphere
• When Earth’s surface is heated, it radiates most of the
energy back into the atmosphere as infrared radiation.
Much of this energy is held by the atmosphere, warming
it.
Weather Factors- Global Wind Belts
the transfer of heat energy where the atmosphere interfaces with lands and
oceans, and wind and ocean currents
• A series of wind belts circles Earth. Between the
wind belts are calm areas where air is rising or
falling.
Weather patterns result from
complex global patterns of
wind & pressure.
Wind are caused by differences
in air pressure.
Westerlies winds that blow
from the west in the middle
latitudes.
Trade Winds which blow
from the east, in the tropics.
Jet Streams
the transfer of heat energy where the atmosphere interfaces with lands and oceans,
and wind and ocean currents
• The jet streams are high-speed bands of winds
occurring at the top of the troposphere.
Jet Streams control many weather processes, such as storm
development.
Coriolis Effect
the transfer of heat energy where the atmosphere interfaces with lands
and oceans, and wind and ocean currents
• As Earth rotates, the Coriolis effect turns winds in the Northern
Hemisphere toward the right.
• Explains how the rotation of the Earth propelled the earth's wind to
move horizontally, in a wave-like manner from West to East (Except
the the Tropical Jet Stream during July and August). The tilt of the
earth towards the Sun and water are also very important components
of this natural phenomenon.
Weather
Background Information
• Earth’s atmosphere has allowed for the
evolution of life on land by burning
meteoroids, by having ozone to absorb much
of the ultraviolet radiation, & availability of
gases like O2 & CO2.
- Layers of the Atmosphere
Layers of the
Atmosphere
• The atmosphere is divided
into four main layers: the
troposphere, the
stratosphere, the
mesosphere, and the
thermosphere.
• The thermosphere is
further divided into the
ionosphere and the
exosphere.
Thunderstorm Formation
•
A thunderstorm forms when warm, humid air rises rapidly within a
cumulonimbus cloud.
Tornado Formation
•
Tornadoes can form when warm, humid air rises rapidly in thick
cumulonimbus clouds—the same type of clouds that bring thunderstorms.
Structure of a Hurricane
• In a hurricane, air moves rapidly around a low-pressure area called
the eye.
PART II
Review “The Geology of Earth” packet.
Highlight vocabulary words
Color code the different layers of the earth.
Describe in detail what the lithosphere
SC.D.1.4.2 The student knows that the
solid crust of Earth consists of slowmoving, separate plates that float on a
denser, molten layer of Earth and that
these plates interact with each other,
changing the Earth’s surface in many ways
(e.g., forming mountain ranges and rift
valleys, causing earthquake and volcanic
activity, and forming undersea mountains
that can become ocean islands). AA
Earth ~200 million years ago
The Continental Drift Hypothesis
Proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1915.
Supercontinent Pangaea started to break up
about 200 million years ago.
Continents "drifted" to their present positions.
Continents "plowed" through the ocean crust.
Continental Drift: Evidence
How do we know?
Geographic fit of South America and Africa
Fossils match across oceans
Rock types and structures match across
oceans
Ancient glacial features
Why do the plates move?
Two related ideas are widely accepted:
Slab pull: Denser, colder plate sinks at
subduction zone, pulls rest of plate behind it.
Mantle convection: Hotter mantle material rises
beneath divergent boundaries, cooler material
sinks at subduction zones.
EARTH SCIENCE
SC.D.1.4.1 The student knows how climatic patterns on Earth result from an interplay
of many factors
Recognizes the processes in the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere
•
Earth's outer shell made up of ~15 major rigid plates ~ 100 km thick
•
•
Plates move relative to each other at speeds of a few cm/ yr
(about the speed at which fingernails grow)
•
Plates are rigid in the sense that little (ideally no) deformation occurs within
them,
•
Most (ideally all) deformation occurs at their boundaries, giving rise to
earthquakes, mountain building, volcanism, and other spectacular
phenomena.
BASIC
CONCEPTS:
THERMAL
EVOLUTION OF
OCEANIC
LITHOSPHERE
Warm mantle material upwells at spreading centers and then cools
Stein &
Wysession
2003
Because rock strength decreases with temperature, cooling material forms
strong plates of lithosphere
Cooling oceanic lithosphere moves away from the ridges, eventually
reaches subduction zones and descends in downgoing slabs back into
the mantle, reheating as it goes
Lithosphere is cold outer boundary layer of thermal convection system
involving mantle and core that removes heat from Earth's interior,
controlling its evolution
“
The Theory of Plate Tectonics
Earth’s outer shell is broken into thin, curved plates
that move laterally atop a weaker underlying layer.
Most earthquakes and volcanic eruptions happen at
plate boundaries.
Three types of relative motions between
plates:
divergent convergent transform
Tectonic Plates on Modern Earth
What are Earthquakes?
• The shaking or trembling caused by the sudden
release of energy
• Usually associated with faulting or breaking of rocks
• Continuing adjustment of position results in
aftershocks
The Focus and Epicenter of an Earthquake
•
•
The point within Earth
where faulting begins is
the focus, or
hypocenter
The point directly above
the focus on the surface
is the epicenter
Where Do Earthquakes Occur and How Often?
~80% of all earthquakes occur in the circum-Pacific belt
– most of these result from convergent margin activity
– ~15% occur in the Mediterranean-Asiatic belt
– remaining 5% occur in the interiors of plates and on
spreading ridge centers
– more than 150,000 quakes strong enough to be felt are
recorded each year
Body Waves: P and S waves
•
Body waves
– P or primary waves
• fastest waves
• travel through solids,
liquids, or gases
• compressional wave,
material movement is
in the same direction
as wave movement
– S or secondary waves
• slower than P waves
• travel through solids
only
• shear waves - move
material
perpendicular to
wave movement
Surface Waves: R and L waves
•
Surface Waves
– Travel just below or along the ground’s surface
– Slower than body waves; rolling and side-to-side
movement
– Especially damaging to buildings
TSUNAMI - water wave generated by earthquake
NY Times
NOAA
IN DEEP OCEAN tsunami has long wavelength, travels fast,
small amplitude - doesn’t affect ships
AS IT APPROACHES SHORE, it slows. Since energy is
conserved, amplitude builds up - very damaging
The Solar System
1.Planets travel counterclockwise on their
orbits, as seen from above Earth’s north
pole.
2. Astronomical units (AUs) are used to
measure distances among the objects in the
solar system; 1 AU is about 150 million km,
the average distance from Earth to the Sun.
F. Comets, asteroids, and meteoroids are other objects orbiting
in the solar system.
1.A comet is an enormous mass of frozen ice and rock with a
nucleus, coma, and tail.
2. Asteroids are rocky objects formed from similar material that
formed the planets; the asteroid belt lies between the orbits of
Mars and Jupiter.
3. Meteoroids come from debris left by colliding asteroids or
dispersing comets.
TIDES
•Caused by the gravitational pull
of the moon and sun
•Neap tides
high high tides
and low low tides
•Spring tides
weak tides
ECLIPSES
Solar
the moon is between the Earth &
the Sun, casting a shadow on
the Earth
Lunar
the Earth is between the Moon &
the Sun, casting a shadow on
the moon
Earth’s Magnetic Field
Magnetosphere
• The area surrounding Earth
that is influenced by this
field is the magnetosphere.
• Protects us from harmful
radiation from the sun.
• Scientists hypothesize that
Earth’s rotation &
movement of matter within
its core sets up a strong
magnetic field in & around
earth.
The AURORA = In the Ionosphere (Northern Hemisphere) charged particles spiral long earth’s
magnetic field toward earth’s magnetic pole. They collide with atoms in the atmosphere. These
collisions cause ATOMS to emit light.
“AURORA BOREALIS”
The MOON
Newton concluded that two factors–gravity and
inertia–combine to keep the moon in orbit around
Earth.
The moon’s orbit
is tilted about 5
degrees relative
to Earth’s orbit
around the sun.
Phases of the Moon