LITHOSPHERE LITHOSPHERE

http://mediatheek.thinkquest.nl/~ll125/images/struct.jpg

Solid, rocky crust covering entire planet.

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ATMOSPHERE ATMOSPHERE

• 78% Nitrogen

• Just under 21% Oxygen

• less than 1% argon, carbon dioxide & other gasses

The air surrounding Earth

HYDROSPHERE HYDROSPHERE

All the water in or near the Earth

BIOSPHERE BIOSPHERE

Composed of all living organisms• Plants

• Animals

• One-celled organisms

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http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/images/misc/spheres3.jpg

The 4 Geo-spheres” of the earth are all interconnected

The super-hot solid inner layer of iron and nickel under extreme pressure

The liquid layer of melted iron and nickel that surrounds the inner core.

The thickest layer. This layer is made up of hot, dense rock – silicon, aluminum, iron, magnesium, and oxygen. This layer rises, cools, sinks, warms up, rises, etc.

The rocky shell that covers the earth’ surface. The shell is broken up into plates that move apart or ground together to push up mountains, create volcanoes, and produce earthquakes.

The theory that the land of the earth was once connected as one large super continent (Pangaea) and has moved “drifted” to its current locations (still moving)

The theory that the crust of the earth is broken up into plates (8 major and many minor) that “float” on the mantle

The plate boundaries of the world.

Subduction – When a sea plate and continental plate collide, the heavier sea plate DIVES under the lighter continental plate. The sea plate then is heated and becomes magma which escapes through volcanoes.

Accretion – slow process that occurs when a sea plate SLIDES under a continental plate. This causes debris which makes continents grow outward.

Spreading – When sea plates pull apart leaving a rift, or deep crack. Magma wells up between the two plates to make underwater volcanoes and ridges.

Folding – when moving plates squeeze the earth’s surface until it bends the layers of rock.

Faulting - When moving plates grind past each other, creating cracks in the curst.

Earthquake – sudden, violent moving of plates along a fault where built up pressure suddenly snaps and shifts.

Ring of Fire – area along the edge of the Pacific Ocean that is a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanoes.

Volcano – mountains formed by lava (magma) that breaks through the earth’s crust.

Click on the underlined headings to see animation:

Spreading (continental) Continental Divergent Plates

Transform Fault transform fault

Folding & Faulting Convergent Continental Plates

Spreading (ocean) Oceanic Divergent Plates

Subduction & Accretion (continental-oceanic) Convergent Continental-Oceanic Plates

Subduction & Accretion (ocean) Convergent Oceanic Plates

Weathering – process that breaks down rocks on the earth’s surface into smaller pieces

Physical Weathering – Form of weathering that occurs when large masses of rock are broken down into smaller pieces. Example: Cracks in rocks fill with water and then freeze. Ice expands and cracks the rocks.

Chemical Weathering – Form of weathering that occurs when the make-up of the rock is changed by transforming minerals or combining with new elements. Example: carbon dioxide in the air dissolves limestone.

Erosion is the wearing away of the earth’s crust by water, wind, and glaciers.

Wind erosion – movement of dust, sand, and soil from one area to another. Plants help prevent this.

Glacial erosion – large bodies of ice move slowly across the earth’s surface. As the glaciers move they pick up rocks and soils in their path. As the glacier retreats it can also leave fields of debris behind.

Water erosion – fast-moving water cuts into the land as it flows downstream. Ocean waves can also erode coastal cliffs. WATER is the most significant cause of erosion.

The part of a continent that extends under the water.

Highest Point on Land – Mt. Everest – 29,035 feet

Lowest Point on dry land – shore of the Dead Sea, 1,349 below sea level

Lowest point on earth – Mariana Trench – 35,827 below sea level

Water cycle – the regular movement of water from ocean to air to ground and back to the ocean.

Evaporation – liquid water turns into water vapor

Sublimate – ice and snow can turn from solid directly into water vapor (skipping liquid form)

Evapotranspiration – water transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil

Condensation – water vapor in the clouds is changed into liquid water

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Precipitation – moisture that falls to earth in the forms of snow, sleet, hail, and rain.

Ice caps and glaciers – store frozen water for thousands of years. 2% of all the world’s water is frozen freshwater.

Snowmelt – surface runoff produced by melting snow.

Surface runoff – water flow that occurs from excess water from rain, meltwater, or other sources that flow over the land.

Freshwater storage – accumulation of runoff, stream flow, and other fresh water (lakes)

Infiltration – downward movement of water through soil.

Ground water – water under the earth’s surface from rain, melted snow, lakes, and rivers (freshwater – not salt water).

Aquifer – underground water -bearing layers of porous rock, sand, or gravel.

The removal of salt from sea water to make fresh water

River – large natural stream of water that runs through the land.

HINT: Water never runs naturally uphill. Some rivers run north, but ALL natural rivers run from a high point to a low point – ALWAYS

Source – place where a river or stream begins, usually in the highlands.

Lake Itasca

Watershed – area drained by a river.

No matter where you are or where you live, you are in a watershed. A watershed is an area of land that catches rain and snow and drains it into a body of water, such as a river, pond, estuary, bay, lake, or ocean. A watershed can also be called a drainage basin.

Tributary – small river or stream that flows into a large river or stream (branch of a river)

Cataract – a large waterfall

Divide – highland that separates the direction of river systems.

Upstream – direction opposite the flow of a river (toward the source) – from the mouth.

Downstream – direction a river flows (toward the mouth) – from the source.

Meander – winding path or course of a river.

Ox-bow lake – a bow shaped lake formed in a former channel of a river.

Confluence – flowing together of two or more rivers or streams.

Basin – area of land drained by a river and its branches; area of land surrounded by lands of higher elevations.

A floodplain, like this one along the Limpopo River in southern Africa, is an area of nearly flat land bordering a stream or river that is naturally subject to periodic flooding.

Alluvial plain – flood plain where flooding rivers deposit rich soil.

Wetlands – a lowland area, such as a marsh or swamp, that is saturated with moisture.

Estuaries are bodies of water and their surrounding coastal habitats typically found where rivers meet the sea. Estuaries harbor unique plant and animal communities because their waters are brackish—a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater.

Delta – alluvial deposit at the river’s mouth that looks like the Greek letter delta (∆)

Mouth – place where a stream or river flows into a larger body of water (can be estuary or delta)