Earth As a System

1. Earth As a System
The Earth is a Unique Planet

2. Learning outcomes
❖ Describe the compositional and the structure layers of the Earth’s
interior.
❖ Discuss the Structural Zones of the Earth's Interior.
❖ List the characteristics of Earth’s four major spheres
❖ Identify the two main sources of energy in the Earth system.

3. The Earth Crust
The Earth’s Crust is the thinnest layer on the Earth 5- 100 km.
There are two types of crust
❖ Oceanic crust- made mostly of the igneous rock basalt. Found under the
ocean. Contains more iron than the continental crust, therefore it’s more
dense.
❖ Continental crust- made mostly of granite.

4. Special Parts of the Crust
Lithosphere
❖ Crust is the upper part of the lithosphere
❖ Broken up into the large plates
❖ The uppermost part of the mantle is also part of the lithosphere
Asthenosphere
❖ Upper part of the mantle, below lithosphere
❖ Cooler part of the mantle that the lithospheric plates slide on the top[

5. The Earth’s Mantle
❖ Located directly above the outer core
❖ Starts below the crust
❖ Is the largest layer
❖ 80% of the Earth’s volume & 68% of the Earth’s mass
❖ Composed of more iron than the crust.
❖ Density, pressure, and temperature all increase the deeper you
go to the mantle.
❖ Temperature ranges from 870c- 2000c (1598F-3632F)

6. Earth’s Mantle

7. The Earth Core
❖ Composed of the inner and outer core
❖ Both are made of iron and Nickel

8. The Earth’s Core
The Outer Core
❖ Liquid surrounds the inner core
❖ Temperature ranges 3992F~ 9032F
The Inner Core
❖ Temperature reaches 9032F
❖ Solid iron and nickel
❖ Usually both would be liquid but are solid in the core because of pressure
❖ The solid core is the source of Earth’s magnetic field.

9. Magnetosphere
❖ The inner core and outer core do not turn at the same
speed as the rest of the earth.
❖ Causes a generator effect which produces a magnetic
field.
❖ It protects us from some of the sun’s harmful radiation.

10. Radioactive Decay
Radioactive decay results in the emission of
❖ An alpha particle (a)
❖ A beta particle (B)
❖ A Gamma ray (Y)

11. Alpha Decay
An Alpha particle is identical to that of a helium
nucleus
It contains two protons and two neutrons

12. Beta Decay
As a result of beta decay, the nucleus has one less neutron but
one extra proton. The atomic number, Z increases by 1 and the
mass number, A stays the same

13. Gamma Decay
Gamma rays are electromagnetic radiation with frequency.
When atoms decay by emitting (A) or (B) particles to
form a new atom, the nuclei of the new
atom formed may still have
too much energy to be completely stable.

14. Causes of Convection Currents
❖ Pressure and Temperature
❖ Density
❖ Cooling
❖ Earth’s rotation

15. Effects of
the Convection
Current to
Other Substations

16. Geosphere
Movements of the plates forms boundaries such as convergent,
divergent and transform fault

17. Hydrosphere
Main way heat from Earth’s Interior
is the transport to its surface,
and this heat escape principally
through mid-ocean ridges

18. Atmosphere
Gases and dust particles thrown into
the atmosphere during volcanic
eruptions have influences on climate

19. Biosphere
Living things living near a
volcano or fault lines
experience
great danger.

21. What is Weather?

22. Temperature

23. Humidity

24. Wind

25. Air Pressure

26. Air
Masses