EARTH SCI august 16 2021

4 subsystems of the Earth

these four subsystems are called "spheres." Specifically, they are the "lithosphere" (land),
"hydrosphere" (water), "biosphere" (living things), and "atmosphere" (air).

Atmosphere

 The atmosphere is composed of all the gases on Earth. It has a boundary that separates space
and Earth.
 The most abundant gas is nitrogen.
 Greek word atmos
 It has no specific boundary but an imaginary line called the Karman line separates the
atmosphere and outer space


Atmosphere has different layers: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and

exosphere.

 troposphere extends to about 14.5 km above the surface of Earth. It is the lowest layer where
the weather disturbances occur.
 stratosphere is found 14.5 to 50 km above Earth’s surface. The ozone layer that protects Earth
from the sun’s harmful UV radiation is part of this layer.
 mesosphere extends from 50 to 85 km above Earth’s surface. It protects Earth from the impact
of space debris. The coldest temperatures on Earth, at - 90°C are found near the top of this
layer.
 Hermosphere is composed of charged particles that are blown by the Earth's magnetic field.
These particles create the lights known as auroras. 85 to 600 km above Earth’s surface. Many
satellites also orbit Earth in this layer.
 exosphere is the outermost layer. It extends to about 10 000 km above Earth’s surface, though
there is no clear boundary where the exosphere ends and space begin.

Geosphere

 comes from the Greek word geo which means ground

 It includes all the soil, rocks, and minerals present in the crust to the core of Earth.
 It is divided into three layers, namely: crust, mantle, and core.

Crust is the outermost layer of the geosphere

 two different types of crust, the oceanic and continental crusts

 .The oceanic crust lies beneath the oceanic floors which is about 5 to 10 km thick
 the thicker continental crust makes up the continents and is about 15 to 70 km thick.
 boundary between the crust and mantle is known as the Mohorovicic discontinuity or Moho.
This was named after the Croatian scientist, Andrija Mohorovicic
EARTH SCI august 16 2021

Mantle is a 2 900 kilometer layer below the Earth's crust that's made up of silicate rocks rich in
magnesium and iron. Its temperature increases as it gets deeper.

 The mantle can be divided into several layers based on the mineral composition and the
type of tectonic deformation. The crust is the first layer that forms the lithosphere, which is
the outer layer of Earth.
 The asthenosphere is the layer that's below the lithosphere, and it allows the lithospheric
plates to move. The lower mantle is denser than the upper one, but it still remains solid.

Core, which has a radius of 3 480 km, is the innermost layer of Earth

 It is made up of iron and nickel

 It is comprised of two layers, the outer core and the inner core.
 These two regions are separated by a boundary called Bullen discontinuity.

Hydrosphere

 comes from the Greek word hydro which means water.

 composed of all water on Earth in any form: water vapor, liquid water, and ice
 97.5% saltwater and 2.5% freshwater.
 It includes all bodies of water such as oceans, lakes, rivers, and marshes.
 Clouds and rain are also part of the hydrosphere.

Biosphere

 comes from the Greek word bio which means life

 all living things. It includes all microbes, plants, and animals
 It extends to the upper areas of the atmosphere where insects and birds can be found.
 It also reaches the deep parts of the oceans where marine organisms can still survive.
 Organisms interact with other organisms and the physical environment.
 They form communities called biomes. Biomes exist all over the world.
 Examples of biomes include deserts, tropical rainforests, swamps, or coral reefs.

Summary

 There are four primary subsystems of Earth: atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and
biosphere. ○
 The atmosphereis made up of various gaseous elements.
 The geosphere is composed of all the soil, rocks, and minerals from the surface of Earth up to its
interior.
 The hydrosphereincludes all form of water bodies on Earth.
 The biosphereincludes all living things on Earth.
EARTH SCI august 16 2021

Eagle - Biosphere

Oxygen gas – Atmosphere

Pasig River - Hydrosphere

Mayon Volcano - Geosphere

Mango - Geosphere

Laguna de Bay - Hydrosphere

Neon lights - Atmosphere

Batanes Islands - Geosphere

Bacteria - Biosphere

Aurora borealis - Atmosphere