Learning Outcomes:

• Describe Earth as a system;

• Explain that Earth consists of four subsystems
across whose boundaries matter and energy
flow; and,
• Differentiate layers of Earth from one another.
The Earth as a
System

Earth’s Spheres
 Earth as a System
• Refers to Earth’s interacting physical, chemical
and biological processes
• Earth is considered as a closed system.
 What does it mean that Earth is a
closed system?
Within the atmosphere, the systems do not interact
with the solar system or universe. There is typically
no transfer of matter between the systems within the
Earth and the systems outside the planet.
Earth’s Sphere
• Atmosphere
• Hydrosphere
• Geosphere
(Lithosphere)
• Biosphere

• Cryosphere
• Anthrosphere
 Atmosphere
• A gaseous sphere and it
envelopes the Earth,

• Consists of a mixture of
gases composed
primarily of nitrogen,
oxygen, carbon dioxide,
and water vapor.
 Hydrosphere
• All of the water
on Earth

• 71% of the
earth is covered
by water and
only 29% is
terra firma
 Lithosphere
• The Earth's solid
surface, often called
the crust of the
earth. It includes
continental and
oceanic crust as well
as the various layers
of the Earth's
interior.
 Biosphere
• All life on earth,
including man,
and all organisms.

• The life zone on

our planet
distinguishes our
planet from the
others in the solar
system.
• The portion of Cryosphere
the Earth's
surface where
water is in a solid
form

• Snow or ice:
includes glaciers,
ice shelves,
snow, icebergs,
and arctic
climatology
 Anthrosphere
• Man and his
direct
ancestors,
hominids.

• The human
population, it’s
buildings,dams,
and other
constructions.
 Interconnected Spheres
• Spheres are closely connected
• Changes are often chain reactions

• A change in one sphere results in changes in others -

called an event
– Forest fire destroys plants in an area

• Interactions between spheres

– No plants => erosion
– Soil in water => increased turbidity
– Turbidity => impacts water plants/animals
Event <=> Sphere
Volcanoes
 What is a Volcano?
- a vent in Earth’s crust through which melted
or molten rock flows.

- molten rock below Earth’s surface is called

MAGMA.
 Formation of Volcanoes
• The shift in the Earth’s plates are what causes
volcanoes to form.

• As the plates join or separate some of the

molten rock is exposed.
Where do volcanoes form???
• Sixty percent of all active volcanoes occur at the
boundaries between tectonic plates.

• Most volcanoes are found along a belt, called the

“Ring of Fire” that encircles the Pacific Ocean.
TYPES OF PLATE BOUNDARIES
• Convergent plate boundaries – where two of Earth’s
plates join together

• Divergent plate boundaries – where two of Earth’s

plates move apart.

• Hot spots – volcanoes that are not associated with

plate boundaries
 LUZON VOLCANIC ARC
Chain of subduction volcanoes on the
west side of the Philippine island of
Luzon, including Mount Pinatubo

red triangles = volcanoes active

in the last 10,000 years
 Major Volcanoes in
the Philippines

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Philippines/Maps/map_philippines_volcanoes.html
 Structure of a Volcano
• Magma – the molten, or liquid-like, rock within the Earth

• Lava – magma that reaches Earth’s surface

• Vent – an opening through which molten (liquid-like) rock flows

onto Earth’s surface

• Volcanoes always have one central vent, but can also have
several smaller side vents.
Structure of a Volcano

ash cloud

lava central
vent
side vent
old layers
of lava

magma Earth’s crust

 Types of Volcanoes
There are three major types of volcanoes:

➢ Shield volcanoes

➢Composite volcanoes

➢ Cinder cone volcanoes

 Shield Volcanoes
• The magma inside a shield volcano is rich in iron
and magnesium and is very fluid.

• Since the magma is very fluid, the lava coming

out of the volcano tends to flow great distances.

• When shield volcanoes erupt, the flowing lava

gives the volcano the shape of a gently sloping
mountain.
 Shield Volcanoes
• Eruptions of shield volcanoes are mild and
can occur several times.
• Mauna Loa in Hawaii is an example of a
shield volcano.
Shield Volcanoes
 Composite Volcanoes
• The magma inside a composite volcano is rich in
silica and much thicker than magma from a
shield volcano.

• Gases get trapped inside this thicker magma.

• Eruptions from composite volcanoes can be

flowing lava or explosions. The explosive
eruptions come from the trapped gases and
produce cinders and ash.
 Composite Volcanoes
• These different types of eruptions are what give
composite volcanoes their alternating layers of
lava and cinders.

• Composite volcanoes have much steeper slopes

than shield volcanoes.

• Mount Fuji in Japan and Mount St. Helens in the

USA are examples of composite volcanoes.
Composite Volcanoes
 Cinder Cone Volcanoes
• The magma inside a cinder cone volcano has
large amounts of gas trapped in it. It has a
basaltic to basaltic andesite in terms of its
magma composition,

• Eruptions from cinder cone volcanoes are

violent and explosive because of all the gas
trapped in the magma.

• The large amounts of hot ash and lava thrown

out of the vent fall to the ground forming the
 Cinder Cone Volcanoes
• Cinder cone volcanoes are usually only
active for a short time and then become
dormant (inactive). Its magma mainly
composed of basalt.

• Taal volcano in Batangas is an example of

a cinder cone volcano.
Cinder Cone Volcanoes
When and how do eruptions occur?

Steam and gases from magma in the earth create

bubbles that expand and burst when the pressure
above them is lessened. These bubbles usually burst
with a tremendous force that along with escaping
gas comes magma too. In some cases, it takes years
for the magma to break through the surface of the
earth.
 Why do eruptions occur?

Eruptions occur when underground pressure is

released when blocks of the earth’s crust shift.
For example, earthquakes.
 Volcanic Products
• Pyroclastic flows
• Lahars
• Lava
• Volcanic ash
 Pyroclastic flows
• Pyroclastic flows are
mixtures of hot gas, ash
and other volcanic rocks
travelling very quickly
down the slopes of
volcanoes. They are
one of the most
dangerous hazards
posed by volcanoes.
 Lahars
• Lahars are mudflows
formed by the mixing of
volcanic particles and
water.
• The direct impact of a
lahar's turbulent flow front or
from the boulders and logs
carried by the lahar can
easily crush, abrade, or
shear off just about anything
at ground level in the path
of a lahar.
 Volcanic ash
• Volcanic ash is a volcanic
rock which is exploded
from a vent in fragments
less than 2mm in size.

• Volcanic ash-particles are

like small sharp glass-
particles that damage
anything they come
across.
 Pahoehoe Lava
• Pahoehoe lavas flow
smoothly and are often formed
by small volumes of hot, fluid
basalt. The higher the volume
of lava emitted the faster the
current.
• . When the pahoehoe lava
flow cools, it often solidifies to
a smooth surface.
 Volcanic Gas
• Volcanic gas is
contained within
magma. As the magma
rises to the Earth's
surface the gases are
released. Because
some gases are toxic
they can suffocate
people.
 Global Impact
• When a volcano erupts it
throws out a lot of ash. At
short notice this ash can
be very harmful to the
environment, but on the
long term the ash layer,
which contains many
useful minerals, will be
converted to a very fertile
soil.
• Volcanoes provide resources
for energy extraction, also
called geothermal
resources. Heat from the
earth's crust is being
converted to energy. The big
advantages to this type of
energy are that it is very
clean and the resources are
nearly inexhaustible.
 Global Impact
• Sea Floor Spreading - new crust is formed at
the bottom of the ocean floor.
 Seismometers
• Seismometers are
instruments that
measure and record
motions of the ground,
including those of
seismic waves
generated by
earthquakes.
THE END
Weather and
Climate
WEATHER
AND
Are Weather and Climate
CLIMATE the Same?

Weather is defined as the state of the

atmosphere at some place and time,
usually expressed in terms of
temperature, air pressure, humidity,
wind speed and direction,
precipitation, and cloudiness.
Meteorologists study weather.

Climate is defined in terms of the

average (mean) of weather elements
(such as temperature and precipitation)
over a specified period of time (30
years according to the World
Meteorological Organization).
WEATHER
AND
The Köppen Climate
CLIMATE Classification System

In the early 20th century, a German scientist named Wladimir Köppen developed one
of the most widely used classification systems. The Köppen system categorizes
climate into five main types, which can be further divided into subcategories.
 Climate is…
• An area’s long-term pattern of weather.
• It includes characteristics such as how
hot summers are, how cold winters are,
and how much precipitation falls at
different times of year.
2 main characteristics:
• Temperature &
• Precipitation
 Climate Controls
• Climate depends on a set of conditions
called climate controls. These include:
1. Latitude: how much solar radiation a
location receives.
2. Proximity to water
3. Altitude/Elevation
4. Proximity to mountains
5. Ocean currents
6. Prevailing Winds
 1. Latitude
• A location’s position relative to the equator
determines how much solar radiation it receives,
and therefore affects its temperature.

*Remember as Earth revolves around the Sun,

the tilt influences how much solar radiation a
location receives & seasons change.
 1. Latitude
• Also, the latitude
relative to
convection cells in
our troposphere
affects
precipitation.
• Dry at 30 N & S
• Moist at equator
 2. Proximity to Water
Because water heats and cools slowly, it
has a low temperature range. Therefore
land masses beside large bodies of water
usually have mild climates.
Large bodies of
water add water
vapor to the air, so
precipitation is
more likely
downwind of water
 3. Altitude/Elevation

• As you go up in the Troposphere

(bottom layer of the atmosphere) temperature
decreases.
• Therefore, the higher the elevation of
the land, the colder it is, generally.
 4. Proximity to Mountains
On the windward side of
• Mountains can affect the mountain, air is
precipitation by making forced to rise. As it
a Rain Shadow. rises, it cools. As it
cools, it loses its ability
to hold water, and
precipitation occurs on
the windward side. As
the air travels to the
leeward side, it no longer
contains moisture, the
air is arid, or dry. This is
why there are deserts
on the east side of our
Rocky Mountains
 5. Ocean Currents
• Global circulation of heat in the oceans
moves heat energy around the world.
Warm Ocean Currents
 6. Prevailing Winds
• Global Wind Patterns cause there to be a
predominant wind direction in some
areas. This influences the type of weather
that approaches you.
Prevailing
Westerlies
cause weather
patterns to move
from west to east
across the United
States.