INTEGRATED SCIENCE 1

Lesson 6: The Earth

PHILIPPINE NORMAL UNIVERSITY

Belmi, de Mesa & Limson (2015) NATIONAL CENTER FOR TEACHER EDUCATION
FACULTY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS
Dynamic system that influences
all life on Earth

•The Sun
•The Earth
•the Moon
EARTH
 3rd planet from the Sun in
the Solar System
 Shape is oblate-spheroid
(with equatorial bulge)
 about ¾ is the surface is
covered with water
 earth’s rotation: 24 h
 earth’s revolution: 365.25
days
How does the Earth
rotate on its own
axis while revolving
around the Sun?
 Earth Rotation
Rotation - the turning, or spinning, of a body on its axis.

• Ways to Demonstrate Earth is Rotating:

 Foucault pendulum

 Coriolis effect
 Measurement of Earth’s Rotation
• SOLAR DAY
- The time period from one noon to
the next
• SIDEREAL DAY
- the time it takes for Earth to make
one complete rotation (360º) with
respect to a star other than the sun—
23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds.
 Earth’s Revolution
- REVOLUTION - the motion of a body along a
path around some point in space.
Ex. Earth’s revolution in its elliptical path around the Sun

• Aphelion
- the point in the Earth’s orbit farthest from the
Sun
• Periphelion
- the point in the Earth’s orbit closest
from the Sun
 Aphelion & Perihelion
.
Earth’s Titled Axis
Earth’s Seasons
Solstices & Equinoxes for Manila
 Moon’s Revolution
Moon’s path around the Earth is elliptical

• Apogee
- the point in the moon’s orbit farthest from
the Earth
• Perigee
- the point in the moon’s orbit closest from the
Earth
Will you become
weighless when you
go to the surface of
the moon?
YES, since the Pull of gravity is 1/6
the pull of gravity on the surface of
the Earth
Earth’s Moon
 has 1/6 times the
gravitational pull of the
Earth
 Lunar surface has dark
regions (maria), highlands,
and craters.

 one of the largest

moons compared to
the radius and mass of
the planet orbits
 EXPLORING THE MOON
• 1957 – Sputnik I (artificial
Satellite of Soviet Union)
• 1961, Yuri A. Gagarin, 1st Human
in Space (Soviet Cosmonaut)
• 1961, Alan . Shephard, Jr., 1st
American into space (Project
Mercury)
 EXPLORING THE MOON
• Project Gemini launched two
person crews
• July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong
and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, landed
on the Moon (Apollo 11 Mission)
• Before 2029, Scientists hope
return to the moon
EXPLORING THE MOON
The Lunar Surface
• Dark lunar surface
• 7% albedo of the Moon (incoming
sunlight that its surface reflects)
• No atmosphere to absorb heat,
• Sunlight can heat the Moon’s surface to
400 K (127°C)
• Temperature of its unlit surface can
drop to 100 K (–173°C)
The Lunar Surface
A crater is the depression at the summit of a volcano
or a depression produced by a meteorite impact.
 The Lunar (Impact) Craters
• Formed when objects from space crushed into
the lunar surface
• material blasted out during these impacts fell
back to the Moon’s surface as ejecta
• CRATERS of the Moon
 RAYS- long trails of ejecta
 MARIA - mostly smooth, they do have a few
scattered craters and rilles.
 RILLES - meandering, valley like structures
that might be collapsed lava tubes.
 Lunar Properties/Composition
• a solid, rocky body
• made up of minerals similar to those of
Earth — mostly silicates
• The highlands, which cover most of the
lunar surface, are predominately lunar
breccias. Most of the lunar breccias are
composed of plagioclase feldspar
• The maria are predominately basalt
History of the Moon
• between 3.8 and 4.6 billion years
old ~ same age as Earth (radiometric
dating of rocks from the highlands )
• scientists theorize that the Moon was
heavily bombarded during its first
800 million years which caused thee
breaking and heating of surface rocks
and resulted to regolith
History of the Moon
Layered Structure
• CRUST varies in
thickness and is
thickest on the far
side
• Solid UPPER MANTLE
• partially molten
LOWER MANTLE
• solid iron CORE
 Formation of Maria
• After the period of • lava fill created the
intense bombardment dark, smooth plains
that formed the of the maria
highlands, lava welled • Maria formed
up from the Moon’s between 3.1 and 3.8
interior and filled in bya
the large impact • maria is free of
basins. craters
• no maria - far side
Formation of Maria
• Scientists
hypothesize that
this is because the
crust is thicker on
the far side, which
made it difficult
for lava to reach
the lunar surface
Tectonics
• Moon experiences an annual
moonquake
• Moon has no active volcanoes
• no significant magnetic field
• The mountains are higher elevations
that surround ancient impact basins
filled with lava
Formation of Maria

Impact theory - the Moon formed as the result

of a collision between Earth and a Mars-sized
object about 4.5 bya when the solar system was
forming.
• suggests that the object struck Earth with a
glancing blow
Formation of Moon

Impact theory
• impact caused materials from the incoming
body and Earth’s outer layers to be ejected
into space, where over time they merged to
form the Moon
• Moon’s crust is so similar to Earth’s crust in
chemical composition
Phases of the Moon
• NEW MOON - the Moon is between Earth and
the Sun, the side that is illuminated is not
visible

• WAXING PHASE - increase in the visible sunlit

surface of the Moon
 WAXING CRESCENT
 FIRST QUARTER
 WAXING GIBBOUS
Phases of the Moon
• FULL MOON- the entire sunlit side of the
Moon faces Earth.
• WANING PHASE - the portion of the sunlit
side that is visible begins to decrease
 WANING GIBBOUS
 THIRD QUARTER - exactly half of the sunlit
portion is visible
 WANING CRESCENT
Phases of the Moon
Moon’s Synchronous rotation
• Moon spins exactly once each time it
goes around Earth
• Earth’s gravity slowed the Moon’s
original spin until the Moon reached
synchronous rotation, the state at
which its orbital and rotational
periods are equal
Lunar Motion
Solar Eclipse

• occurs when the Moon passes directly

between the Sun and Earth and blocks
the Sun from view.
 total solar eclipse
 partial solar eclipse
Which phase of the
moon lunar eclipse
can be observed?

Full Moon Phase

Lunar Eclipse

• eclipse occurs when the Moon passes

through Earth’s shadow
 total lunar eclipse - occurs when the
entire Moon is within Earth’s umbra
which last for 2 hours
Earth Spheres

Hydrosphere
Biosphere
Atmosphere
Lithosphere
Hydrosphere

Biosphere
Atmosphere
contains all of the
planet's air.

Lithosphere contains all of the cold,

hard, solid rock of the
planet's crust (surface),
the hot semi-solid rock
that lies underneath the
crust, the hot liquid rock
near the center of the
planet, and the solid iron
core (center) of the planet
Lithosphere
--Solid portion of the
earth
--composed of
unweathered rocks and
soil
--composed of the crust
and the upper mantle
What are the possible
effects of changes in one of
earth's four spheres on
each of the other spheres?

Answers may vary.

An Earth Science Analysis can illustrate
the possible effects
ESS analysis of the Yellowstone
forest fires event:
(EVENT-SPHERE Interactions)
ESS analysis of the Yellowstone forest fires event:
(EVENT-SPHERE Interactions)
ESS analysis of the Yellowstone forest fires event:
(EVENT-SPHERE Interactions)
ESS analysis of the Yellowstone forest fires event:
(SPHERE-SPHERE Interactions)
ESS analysis of the Yellowstone forest fires event:
(SPHERE-SPHERE Interactions)
What process is
responsible to break
down rocks into
smaller pieces?

Weathering
Weathering
• is the process in which materials
on or near Earth’s surface break
down and change

• Kinds:
 Mechanical Weathering
 Chemical Weathering
 Mechanical/ Physical Weathering
• rocks and minerals break down into smaller
pieces.
• does not involve any change in a rock’s
composition, only changes in the size and
shape of the rock.

Effect of Temperature
Effect of Pressure
What is the physics
behind frost-
wedging?

Thermal expansion/ contraction

 Effect of T: Frost- Wedging

• freeze-thaw cycles of water in the cracks

of rocks
• When water in the cracks of rocks freezes,
it increases its volume, which can cause
rocks to split
 Effect of P: Biological Activity

• The activity of organisms, including plants,

burrowing animals, and humans
• When plants sprout as seedlings in cracks
in rocks, their growing roots can split rocks
in two
 Effect of P: Expoliation

• Reduced pressure on igneous rock causes

it to expand and allows slabs of outer rock
to break off in layers in a process called
exfoliation.
Chemical Weathering
• is the process by which rocks and minerals
undergo changes in their composition
• AGENTS: water, oxygen, Carbon Dioxide,
Acid Precipitation
• The interaction of these agents with rock can
cause some substances to dissolve, and some
new minerals to form.
This statue has been
chemically weathered
by acidic water and
atmospheric pollutants
Chemical Weathering of Granite
 Effect of Water
• Water is an important agent in chemical
weathering because it can dissolve many
kinds of minerals and rocks.
• Water also plays an active role in many
reactions by serving as a medium in
which the reactions can occur.
• Water can also react directly with
minerals in a chemical reaction.
 Effect of Oxygen
• The chemical reaction of oxygen with
other substances is called oxidation.
• Approximately 21 percent of Earth’s
atmosphere is oxygen gas.
• Iron in rocks and minerals combines
with this atmospheric oxygen to form
minerals with the oxidized form of
iron.
 Effect of Carbon Dioxxide
• When carbon dioxide combines with
water in the atmosphere, it forms a very
weak acid called carbonic acid that falls
to Earth’s surface as precipitation
• Precipitation includes rain, snow, sleet,
and fog.
• Natural precipitation has a pH of 5.6.
 Effect of Acid Precipitation
• Sulfur dioxide is
primarily the product of
industrial burning of
fossil fuels.
• Motor-vehicle exhausts
also contribute to the
emissions of nitrogen
oxides.

• which is caused by sulfur dioxide and

nitrogen oxides that are released into the
atmosphere, in large part by human
activities.
Rate of Weathering
• The natural weathering of Earth
materials occurs slowly.
• it can take 2000 years to weather 1
cm of limestone
• Most rocks weather at even slower
rates
Rate of Mechanical Weathering
• physical weathering can break down
rocks more rapidly in cool climates.
• Physical weathering rates are highest
in areas where water in cracks
within the rocks undergoes
repeated freezing and thawing.
Rate of Chemical Weathering
• Rapid in climates with warm
temperatures, abundant rainfall, and lush
vegetation.
• These climatic conditions produce soils
that are rich in organic matter
• has the greatest effects along the
equator, where rainfall is plentiful and the
temperature tends to be high
Effect of climate in Weathering
• Climate is the major influence on the
rate of weathering of Earth materials.
• Precipitation, temperature, and
evaporation are factors that determine
climate.
• The interaction between temperature
and precipitation in a given climate
determines the rate of weathering in a
region.
Effect of Rock Type &
Composition in Weathering
• Not all the rocks in the same climate
weather at the same rate.
• The effects of climate on the weathering
of rock also depends on the rock type
and composition
rocks containing mostly calcite, such as
limestone and marble, are more easily
weathered than rocks containing mostly
quartz, such as granite and quartzite
Effect of Surface Area in
Weathering
Effect of Surface Area in Weathering
• The rate of weathering also depends on
the surface area that is exposed.
• Mechanical weathering breaks rocks into
smaller pieces.
• As the pieces get smaller, their surface
area increases
• When this happens, there is more total
surface area available for chemical
weathering
Effect of Topography in Weathering
• The slope of a landscape also determines
the rate of weathering.
• Rocks on level areas are likely to remain
in place over time, whereas the same
rocks on slopes tend to move as a result
of gravity.
• Steep slopes therefore promote erosion
and continually expose
less-weathered material.
Have you ever noticed
the mud that collects on
sidewalks and streets
after a heavy rainfall?
How it was deposited
there?
• Water carries sediment to the
sidewalks and streets and deposits it
as mud.
 EROSION
• It transports weathered
materials across Earth’ surface
until they are deposited
• AGENTS:
 gravity
 water
 wind
 glacier
 Living things
AGENTs of Erosion: GRAVITY
• force of gravity tends to pull all
materials down slope
 AGENTs of Erosion: Water
Erosion by water can have
destructive results:
- water flowing downslope can
carry away fertile agricultural
soil.

 Rill erosion develops when

running water cuts small
channels into the side of a
slope.
 When a channel becomes
deep and wide, rill erosion
evolves into gully erosion
 AGENTs of Erosion: Glaciers
• Moving ice
• Glaciers left their mark on
much of the landscape, and
their erosional effects are
large-scale and dramatic.
AGENTs of Erosion: Living Things
 Plants and animals also play a role
in erosion.
 As plants and animals carry out
their life processes, they move
Earth’s surface materials from one
place to another.
What are the
ways to control/
lessen soil erosion?
• Planting rows of trees called windbreaks
• Terracing hillsides
• Plowing along the contours of hills
• Rotating crops
AGENTs of Erosion: Wind
A windbreak
can reduce the
speed of the
wind for
distances up to
30 times the
height of the
tree.
Wind can be a major erosional agent,
especially in arid and coastal
Regions which only have little vegetation
too hold the soil in place.
What happens to
rock after it
undergoes weathering
process?

It becomes part of the soil

 SOIL
• is the loose covering of weathered rock
particles and decaying organic matter,
called humus, overlying the bedrock of
Earth’s surface, and serves as a medium
for the growth of plants.
• product of thousands of years of
chemical and mechanical weathering
and biological activity.
 Organisms in the soil
change the soil’s structure over time by
adding nutrients and passages for air.
 SOIL Texture
 Texture - refers to the
proportions of different particle
sizes.
 Sand (large size)
 Clay (small size)
 Silt
Loam is best suited for plant life
which is a mixture of all three sizes
 SOIL Layers
 Residual soil - a soil whose parent
material is the local bedrock
Kentucky’s bluegrass soil is an example of residual
soil, as are the red soils in Georgia

 Transported soil - is soil that

develops from parent material that has
been moved far from its original location.
For example, glaciers have transported sediments
from Canada to many parts of the United States.
 What color is soil?
Which determine the
color of the soil?
• Soils can be many different colors—
dark brown, light brown, red, or almost
white.
• Soils develop through the
interaction of a number of factors,
which determine the color of soil
SOIL Profile
 FACTORS of SOIL Formation
 Climate
 Topography
 Parent Material
 Biological Organisms
 Time
The five factors of soil
formation result in 12 different
soil orders.
Soil Profile SOIL HORIZON - A distinct
layer within a soil profile
Top layer
O-horizon is the top layer
of organic material,
which is made of humus
and leaf litter.

A Horizon
a layer of weathered
rock combined with a
rich concentration of
dark brown organic
material
 B-horizon
Soil Profile (zone of accumulation)
- is a red layer that has been
enriched over time by clay
and minerals deposited by
water flowing from the
layers above, or percolating
upward from layers below.

C-horizon
- contains little or no organic
matter, and is often made
of broken-down bedrock.
What are most
important factors in
soil formation?

parent material, time, climate, organisms,

and slope.
How fast can you travel
on a waterslide? What
factors may affect your
movement?
• A number of factors might come
into play, including the angle of the
slide, the amount of water on the
slide, the material of the slide,
friction, and your own mass.
 MASS MOVEMENT
• The downslope movement of soil
and weathered rock resulting from
the force of gravity
• Factors that Influence:
 material’s weight
 material’s resistance to sliding or
flowing
 trigger
 water
 KINDS of MASS MOVEMENT
• Creep - the slow, steady, downhill
flow of loose, weathered Earth
materials, especially soils
 KINDS of MASS MOVEMENT

• Flows - In
some mass
movements,
Earth
materials
flow as if
they were a
thick liquid
 KINDS of MASS MOVEMENT
•-

A rapid, downslope movement of Earth

materials that occurs when a relatively thin
block of soil, rock, and debris separates from
the underlying bedrock is called a landslide
 KINDS of MASS MOVEMENT
• When the mass of
Slumps leave distinct
crescent-shaped scars on
material in a landslide
hillsides as the
soil rotates downward.
moves along a curved
surface, a slump results.

• Material at the top of the

slump moves downhill, and
slightly inward, while the
material at the bottom of
the slump moves outward.
 KINDS of MASS MOVEMENT
•-

Vibrations from a
single skier can
trigger an
avalanche.

Landslides that occur in mountainous areas

with thick accumulations of snow are called
avalanches.
 KINDS of MASS MOVEMENT
•-

This rockfall in Topanga

Canyon, California, was
unusual in that it
involved mainly one
large rock.

Rockfalls On high cliffs, rocks are loosened by physical

weathering processes, such as freezing and thawing, and
by plant growth. As rocks break up and fall directly
downward, they can bounce and roll, ultimately producing
a cone-shaped pile of coarse debris, called talus, at the
base of the slope.
A. Research on this:
Can soil erosion possibly
resulted to landslide???

B. Make an earth science system

analysis of a landslide event and
indicate the ff. interactions:
1. Event - Earth’s Spheres
interactions
2. Sphere-Sphere Interactions
 REFERENCES
• Glencoe. 2008. Earth Science
• Lutgens and Tarback Earth Science
• http://www.cotf.edu/ete/ESS/ESSmain.html
• www.roebuckclasses.com
• http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/per
ihelion-aphelion-solstice.html
• http://web.nmsu.edu/~esgerken/lecture07/sli
de05.html
 INTEGRATED SCIENCE 1

Lesson 6: The Earth

PHILIPPINE NORMAL UNIVERSITY

Belmi, de Mesa & Limson (2015) NATIONAL CENTER FOR TEACHER EDUCATION
FACULTY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS