Earth and life Science #2

The Earth impacts

Since the Earth system is dynamic that continually responding to changes. We can observe the environmental changes in our planet.
Below is the list of the natural phenomena observed in planet Earth:

1. Volcanic Eruptions
2. Earthquakes
3. Flash floods
4. Landslides
5. Severe Thunderstorms
6. Lightening
7. Wildfires
8. Season
9. Ocean tides

These natural phenomena have a negative impact in our environment and to human. It can change because of the global warming
and human action.

1. Natural phenomenon- those that occur or manifest without human input. Examples of natural phenomena include gravity,
tides, moons, planets, volcanic lightning, starling swarms, ant armies, sandstorms, biological processes and oscillation, and
countless other events.
2. Natural hazard- defined as environmental phenomena that have the potential to impact societies and the human
environment. These should not be confused with other types of hazards, such as manmade hazards

Humans, animals, and plants were considered as part of the biosphere. Since human and animal needs oxygen to breath, and plants
need carbon dioxide to produce food, this process is called oxygen cycle, and photosynthesis. The exchange of energy and the
environmental process are important on the Earth system.

1. Environment- defined as our surroundings; including all physical, social, and cultural aspects of our world that affect our
growth, health, and way of living. Environments are systems composed of a wide variety of elements and processes that
involve interconnections among weather, climate, soils, rocks, terrain, plants, animals, water, and humans.
2. Ecology- the study of relationships between organisms and their environment.
3. Ecosystem- a community of organisms and the relationships of those organisms to each other and to their environment.

Life-support system- on Earth, natural processes produce and adequate supply of oxygen; the sun interacts with the atmosphere,
oceans, and land to maintain tolerable temperatures, and photosynthesis or other processes provide food supplies for living things. If
a critical part of a life-support system is significantly changed, living organisms may no longer be able to survive.

1. Natural resources- water, land, Oil, coal, natural gas, metals

2. Environmental overshoot- using more resources in a year than their annual renewal, growth or replacement.

Earth materials and resources

1. Seismograph- a sensitive instrument that can record seismic waves or shock waves from an earthquake even when the
earthquake is centered thousands of kilometers away from the seismograph’s location.

The Earth’s layer

Earth consists of two distinct layers known as lithosphere and asthenosphere.

1. Lithosphere- uppermost mantle and overlying crust form a single structural unit.
2. Asthenosphere- the denser, weaker layer beneath the lithospheric mantle. The temperature and pressure of the
asthenosphere are so high that rocks soften and partly melt, becoming semi-molten. The asthenosphere has the
characteristics of a plastic solid.
3. Core- Earth’s innermost section, it contains one third of Earth’s mass and has a radius of about 3360 kilometers which is
larger than the planet Mars. Core is composed primarily of iron and nickel, and two distinct sections. The inner core – has a
radius of about 960 kilometers. The speed of P(primary) waves traveling through the inner core shows that it is a solid with
a very high material density of about 13 grams per cubic centimeter. The outer core- forms a 2400-kilometer, thick band
around the inner core. Rock matter at the top of the outer core has a density of about 10 grams per cubic centimeter. The
outer core blocks the passage of seismic S(secondary) waves, earth scientists know that the outer core is molten (consist of
liquid rock matter).
4. Mantle- The largest of earth’s interior zones. It is less dense than that of the core. Scientist agree that the mantle consists of
silicate rocks ( high in silicon and oxygen) that also contain significant amounts of iron and magnesium.
5. Crust- composed of a great variety of rock types that respond in diverse ways and at varying rates to surface processes. It is
the only portion of the lithosphere of which earth scientists have direct knowledge, yet it represents only about 1% of earth
planetary mass. Oceanic crust- composed of basalt, a heavy dark-colored, iron-rich rock that is also high in silicon and
magnesium. Continental crust- comprises the major landmasses on Earth that are exposed to the atmosphere. It is
considerably thicker than oceanic crust.
Earth’s crust is composed of various types of rocks and minerals. A basic understanding of rocks requires us to first consider
minerals, which are the building blocks of rocks.

1. Minerals- is an organic, naturally occurring, crystalline substance represented by a specific chemical formula. A crystalline
substance displays a specific, repeated, three-dimensional structure at the molecular level. The shape of a crystal is an
expression of the mineral’s molecular structure. The mineral halite, which is used as table salt, has the specific chemical
formula NaCl and as crystal adopts a cubic form. Quartz, calcite, fluorite, talc, topaz, and diamond are just the few
examples of other minerals.

Most common elements in earth’s crust

ELEMENT Percentage of Earth’s crust by weight
Oxygen 46.60
Silicon 27.72
Aluminum 8.13
Iron 5.00
Calcium 3.63
Sodium 2.83
Potassium 2.70
Magnesium 2.09
total 98.70
2. Rocks- it is a consolidated aggregate of various types of minerals or multiple individual pieces of the same kind of mineral.
Rock is not one single uniform crystal. It consists of several different minerals. A mass of consolidated rock that has not
been weathered is termed bedrock. Bed rock may be exposed at the surface of Earth or it may be overlain by a cover of
broken and decomposed rock fragments, called regolith.

Classify rocks into igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks:

1. Igneous rocks- when a molten rock material cools and solidifies it becomes an igneous rock. Molten rock matter below
Earth’s surface is called magma., whereas molten rock material at the surface is known specifically as lava. There are two
major categories of igneous rocks: 1. extrusive rock- molten materials that solidifies at Erath’s surface, it is also called
volcanic rock, and 2. Intrusive rock- a molten rock beneath the Earth’s surface that is magma, changes to solid. Also known
as plutonic rock named after Pluto, Roman god of the underworld. Igneous rocks are classified in terms of their mineral
composition and the size of constituent minerals, which is referred to as texture. Igneous rocks vary in texture, chemical
composition, crystalline structure, tendency to fracture, and presence or absence of layering. Many igneous rocks are
fractured, often by multiple cracks that may be evenly spaced or arranged in regular geometric patterns. In the Earth
sciences, simple fractures or cracks in bedrock are called joints. It is caused by regional stresses in the crust are common
features in any type of rock, including igneous rocks. Igneous rocks, however, also develop joints because molten rocks
shrinks in volume as it cools and solidifies, resulting in fractures.
2. Sedimentary rocks- derived by sediment, which is a loose accumulation of unconsolidated fragments. After the fragments
accumulate, often in horizontal layers, pressure form the addition of more material above compacts the sediment, expelling
water and reducing pore space. Cementation occurs when silica, calcium carbonate, or iron oxide bonds the fragment
together. The processes of compaction and cementation transforms, or lithify, sediments into solid, coherent layer of rock.
There are three major categories of sedimentary rocks; clastic, organic, and chemical precipitate. Broken fragments of
solids are called CLASTS. Sedimentary rocks that form from fragments of preexisting rocks, shells, or bones are called
CLASTIC SEDIMENTARY ROCKS. ORGANIC SEDIMENTARY ROCKS lithify from the remains of organisms, both
plants and animals. COAL is created by the accumulation and compaction of partially decayed vegetation in acidic,
swampy environments where water-saturated ground prevents oxidation and complete decay of the organic matter. When
the amounts of dissolved minerals in ocean or lake water reach saturation they begin to precipitate and build up as a deposit
on the sea or lake bottom. When lithified, these sediments become CHEMICAL PRECIPITATE SEDIMENTARY ROCKS.
3. Metamorphic rocks- metamorphic means “changed form”. Enormous heat and pressure deep in Earth’s crust can alter an
existing rock into a new rock type that is completely different from the original by recrystallizing the minerals without
creating molten rock matter. Metamorphic rocks are typically harder and more compact, have a reoriented crystalline
structure, and are more resistant to weathering. There are two major categories of metamorphic rocks, based on the
presence(foliated) or absence(nonfoliated) of platy surfaces or wavy alignments of light and dark minerals that form during
metamorphism.

Rock Cycle:
The rock cycle is a web of processes that outlines how each of the three major rock types—igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary
—form and break down based on the different applications of heat and pressure over time. This breakdown of rock material at near
surface is known as WEATHERING.

The Earth’s internal heat comes from:

Most of Earth’s internal heat is left over from when our planet formed, about 4.5 billion years ago. Earth and the other planets in the
solar system first began to take shape as countless smaller bodies collided and clumped together. The energy of those violent
collisions transformed into heat energy. As the early Earth grew bigger, gravity began pulling matter toward the center. The intense
compression of material deep inside the Earth increased internal heat even further.

Once temperatures were high enough, the element iron began to melt and sink toward the center, as less dense material rose towards
the surface. The friction of the iron moving down through the other material generated even more heat. As denser material sank,
layers formed inside the Earth: A core primarily made of iron, the less dense mantle, and even less dense crust. Since its formation,
the Earth has been losing heat to space. Certain elements, known as radioactive elements such as potassium, uranium, and thorium,
break down through a process known as radioactive decay, and release energy. This radioactive decay in Earth’s crust and mantle
continuously adds heat and slows the cooling of the Earth.

After 4.5 billion years, the inside of the Earth is still very hot (in the core, approximately 3,800°C – 6,000°C), and we experience
phenomena generated by this heat, including earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building. While Earth’s internal heat is the
energy sources for processes like plate tectonics and parts of the rock cycle, it provides only a fraction of a percent to the Earth’s
average atmospheric temperature. Overall, Earth’s interior contributes heat to the atmosphere at a rate of about 0.05 watts per square
meter while incoming solar radiation adds about 341.3 watts per square meter.

Magma formation:

Movements of plates leads to the formation of the folds and faults:

1. Convergent plate boundary- collide

2. Divergent plate boundary-separate
3. Transform plate boundary – side to side