Earth Science - study of Earth and of the universe • Explore the ocean floor to research history or

around it. Assumes that the causes of natural events, find mineral deposits
or phenomena, can be discovered through careful
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
observations and experimentation.
• Study the ways in which humans interact
Structure of the Earth System - Made up of four
with their environment
spheres Lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere,
• Newest branch of Earth Science
biosphere
• Study use of natural resources, pollution, and
Earth History- constructive and destructive forces the health of plant and animal species
have changed the Earth’s surface over its 4.6 billion • Study the effects of industries and
year history technologies on the environment

Categories of earth science – geology, meteorology, Importance of earth science

PPastronomy, oceanography, environmental science
• Forecast potential disasters and help save
GEOLOGY lives and property.
• Gain access to the Earth’s resources.
 Study of origin, history, processes, and
• Protect the environment.
structure of the solid Earth
• studying the rock record gives us insight into
 Explore Earth’s crust for resources like coal,
past environmental changes, from which we
oil, and natural gas
may able to make predictions about how the
 Study forces within Earth to predict
Earth could change in the future.
earthquakes and volcanic activity
• can lead to discovery of sources of energy,
 Study fossils to learn about the past
mineral resources and fresh water.
METEOROLOGY • understanding the dynamic structure of the
Earth’s crust and interior helps us to predict
• The study of the atmosphere; weather and and avoid natural hazards.
climate. • an understanding of the rocks and minerals
• Use satellites, radar, and other technology to that make up the solid Earth, and how these
study atmospheric conditions that produce materials interact with atmosphere, the
weather world water supply, and living organisms
• Weather observers measure wind speed, provides the foundation for all natural and
temperature, rainfall, etc. to make weather environmental sciences.
maps
• Use weather maps, satellite images, and Facts about earth
computer models to forecast weather
• Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the
• Study climate – weather patterns over long
only astronomical object known to harbor
periods of time
life.
ASTRONOMY • Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted with respect
to its orbital plane, producing seasons on
• The study of the Earth's motions and objects Earth.
in space. • Earth orbits around the Sun in 365.256 solar
• One of the oldest branches of Earth Science days, a period known as an Earth sidereal
• Ancient Babylonians charted positions of year
stars and planets years ago • Earth is the densest planet in the Solar
• Use Earth- and space-based telescopes, System and the largest and most massive of
rovers, and space probes to study the sun, the four rocky planets.
the moon, the solar system, and the universe • Earth’s gravity interacts with other objects in
OCEANOGRAPHY space, especially the Sun and the Moon,
which is Earth’s only natural satellite.
• The study of the Earth’s oceans. • Within the first billion years of Earth’s
• Work on research ships history, life appeared in the oceans and
• Study waves, tides and ocean currents began to affect Earth’s atmosphere and
 surface, leading to the proliferation of for animal life by filling the atmosphere with
anaerobic and later, aerobic organisms. oxygen. The high-altitude layer of gas
• Earth is the only planet to be named in shielded early animals from lethal radiation.
English. The word ‘Earth’ is Old English word • THE SUN - Our sun is a yellow dwarf, a
for "land“ relatively rare type of star that is small and
• Earth is the fifth largest planet in the stable. It won't probably fizzle out for
universe another five billion years or so.
• Before 500 BC, people thought that earth • GAS GIANT NEIGHBORS - Gas giants tend to
was flat. Because of Aristotle and clump up near their home star. But because
Pythagoras, people know that the shape of they are toward the outside of the Solar
the earth is spherical System, their intense gravity conveniently
• However, Sir Isaac Newton showed that the catches wayward asteroids and comets,
earth was not a perfect sphere, but a making events like the one that killed off the
compressed spheroid. dinosaurs a rarity.
• The correct technical term to use will be • WATER - Earth is a rocky, terrestrial planet,
oblate spheroid, a type of ellipsoid solid but its surface is covered with 70% water.
formed when an ellipse is rotated about its Earth is also special because it is an ocean
minor axis planet.
• The study of the size and shape of the earth • GOLDILOCKS ZONE - The planet is located in
is called geodesy the circumstellar habitable zone known as
the Goldilocks Zone, which enables our
planet to provide liquid water given
Among the eight planets in the Solar System, Earth is sufficient atmospheric pressure. Moreover,
the one able to harbor life forms, making it unique we are not too close to the sun like Mercury
from all the others. to be fired and not too far from it like
Neptune to be stone cold.
FACTORS CONTRIBUTED AS EARTH IS THE ONE ABLE • RIGHT CHEMICAL INGREDIENTS - Earth has
TO HARBOR LIFE FORMS the right chemical ingredients to form and
• THE MOON - The Earth has a slight tilt which support life. Organic life forms depend on
can cause drastic shifts in climate over the water and carbon to live, and Earth is one
course of thousands of years. But because of planet that contains these essentials.
the moon's stabilizing effect on our orbit, our
climate is a lot steadier. Plus, the moon
causes the tides, and some biologists think Earth is composed of systems that can be placed into
life began in tidal pools. one of four major subsystems: land, water, living
• STABLE ROTATION - The regularity and things, and air. These four subsystems are called
frequency of day and night on Earth prevent "spheres". Specifically, they are lithosphere (land),
extreme temperatures and encourage life. hydrosphere (water), atmosphere (air), and
• MAGNETIC FIELD - Our planet is blessed with biosphere (living things).
a strong, stable magnetic field, which staves
Earth Subsystem
off the cosmic rays and solar flares that
would otherwise fry the planet every now • Lithosphere - It contains all of the cold, hard
and then. solid lands on the crust, the semi-solid land
• DYNAMIC GEOLOGY - The cloud of gas and on the upper mantle, and the liquid land on
dust that eventually coalesced into the Earth the core. The surface of the lithosphere is
continued enough radioactive elements to very uneven; there are mountain ranges like
keep the core of the planet churning for Andes and Rockies, wide, flat plains like in
billions of years. Without this motion, there Texas and Brazil, and deep valleys along the
would not be a magnetic field. ocean floor.
• ATMOSPHERE - The ozone layer is of great
The structure of the Earth can be defined
importance. Back in the early days of life,
mechanically or chemically.
plant-like organisms unknowingly made way
RHEOLOGY – the study of the flow of matter Mohorovisic discontinuity - The Moho discontinuity
primarily in the liquid state under conditions at separates the crust and mantle. It was discovered by
which they respond with the plastic flow rather than a Croatian seismologist Andrija Mohorovicic in 1909,
deforming elastically in response to an applied force who inferred that the velocity of seismic waves is
related to the density of the material that is moving
Mechanically, Earth can be divided into five layers;
through.
• lithosphere
Mantle - The mantle extends from the base of the
• asthenosphere
crust at a depth of 2900km. It comprises about 80%
• mesospheric mantle
of the earth’s total volume. Mantle contain Iron,
• Outer core
magnesium and calcium. Because of increasing
• inner core
temperature and pressure inside the earth, it is
Chemically, the layers of the Earth are: hotter and denser than the crust. This steady
increase of temperature is called geothermal
• crust gradient, which is believed to be the one responsible
• upper mantle for different rock behaviors within the mantle.
• lower mantle
• outer core Upper Mantle - It comprises of Peridotite and
• inner core Gabbro and Plagioclase minerals. The average
density of the upper mantle is about 4.5 g/cm3. The
Lithosphere - This is the outer solid part of the planet average temperature of this layer is about 1100 C ⁰.
including the Earth's crust as well as the underlying The Repetti Discontinuity separates the upper
cool, dense, and rigid upper part of the upper mantle from the lower mantle. Due to Repetti
mantle. It extends from the surface of the earth to a discontinuity, there is a sharp increase in the velocity
depth of about 70-100 km. of the seismic waves. The upper mantle is
Asthenosphere - The asthenosphere is that part of heterogeneous in terms of density and composition.
the layer of earth which is below the Lithosphere. It The thickness of the uppermost part of this stratum
extends at a depth of 100 km to 400 km from the is about 80-100 km. The uppermost part of the upper
lithosphere. Due to the high temperature, this region mantle is as rigid as the crust. Both crust and upper
is partially molten. Here the velocity of seismic wave mantle constitute the Lithosphere.
slowdowns abruptly. This region is called the Low- Lower Mantle - The lower mantle extends at a depth
velocity region. Also, it is rich in Peridotite. of 670 km to 2900km. The average density of this
Moreover, this region is popularly known as the region is about 6.5g/cm3. It is composed of Olivine,
Magma Chamber. Plagioclase, and Orthoclase minerals. Guttenberg
Crust- It is the uppermost and the thinnest layer of Discontinuity separates the lower mantle and the
the earth. The average thickness of the crust is about upper core of the earth.
35 km. Core - At the depth of 2900 km to 6371 km, lies the
Continental Crust (SIAL layer) - In terms of structure, core of the earth. Because of its metallic
composition, density, and thickness, the continental composition, its density is nearly twice of the
crust differs from the oceanic crust. It is composed of mantle. It comprises 15% to 16% of the total volume
granitic and andesitic rocks. The continental crust is of the earth. The core is divided into two regions
rich in Feldspar minerals. Moreover, the density of called the outer core and the inner core.
the continental crust is about 2.6gm/cm3. The Outer Core- It extends between 2900 km to 5150 km.
average thickness is about 40km. However, in the The density of the outer core is about 10g/cm3. • It
mountainous regions, the thickness reaches up to mainly consists of Iron and Nickle (about 85%). The
100 Km. outer core is always in the molten state. Lehman
Oceanic Crust (SIMA layer) - The oceanic crust is Discontinuity separates the outer core and the inner-
made up of Basalt. It is rich in ferro-magnesia. Its core.
density is about 3 g/cm3. The Conrad discontinuity Inner Core - The inner core extends between 5150
divides the continental crust and the oceanic crust km to 6371 km. The average density of the inner core
is about 13g/cm3. • Despite the high temperature,
the inner core is always in a solid state due to very temperatures in Earth's atmosphere, about -
high pressure prevailing in this region. The 90° C (-130° F), are found near the top of this
temperature of the inner core is about 6000 C⁰. layer.
• Ionosphere – The ionosphere reflects and
• Hydrosphere - It contains all the solid, liquid,
absorbs radio waves. The ionosphere is an
and gaseous water of the planet. Saltwater
abundant layer of electrons and ionized
comprises 97.5% of the total global water
atoms and molecules, overlapping into the
and the remaining 2.5% is fresh water.
mesosphere and thermosphere. • The
Furthermore, that small percentage of
ionosphere gets its name from the solar
freshwater is comprised of 68.9% ice (in
radiation that ionizes gas molecules to create
glaciers and permanent snow cover), 30.8%
a positively charged ion and one or more
groundwater (including soil moisture, swamp
negatively charged electrons. These freed
water, and permafrost), and 0.3% lakes and
electrons travel within the ionosphere as
river storage. Hydrological cycle –
electric currents. The aurora, or Northern
Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation,
Lights and Southern Lights, occur in the parts
Filtration, Transpiration
of the thermosphere that correspond to
• Atmosphere - It contains all the air in Earth's
layers of the ionosphere.
systems. It is the thin gaseous layer that
• Thermosphere – This is a region in which
envelopes the lithosphere, comprising 78%
temperatures again increase with height.
nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, and trace
The next is the thermosphere. This is where
amounts of other gases.
auroras can be observed and where satellites
Layers of Atmosphere can be found orbiting the Earth. The
thermosphere is the thickest layer in the
• Troposphere - This is the lowest part of the atmosphere. Only the lightest gases—mostly
atmosphere - the part we live in. The oxygen, helium, and hydrogen—are found
troposphere is the lowest portion of the here. The aurora (the Southern and Northern
atmosphere, and the densest. Almost all Lights) primarily occur in the thermosphere.
weathers occur in this region. As the density High-energy solar photons tear electrons
of the gases in this layer decrease with away from gas particles in the thermosphere,
height, the air becomes thinner. Therefore, creating electrically-charged ions of atoms
the temperature in the troposphere also and molecules.
decreases with height. • Exosphere - It contains mainly oxygen and
• Stratosphere – It contains much of the ozone hydrogen atoms. Lastly, the exosphere is the
in the atmosphere. The stratosphere is right upper limit of our atmosphere. It contains
above the troposphere which contains the mainly oxygen and hydrogen atoms, but
ozone layer, a blanket of gases that absorbs there are so few of them that they rarely
and scatters solar ultraviolet radiation. The collide - they follow "ballistic" trajectories
stratosphere is very dry and clouds are rare. under the influence of gravity, and some of
Those that do form are thin and wispy. They them escape right out into space. In this
are called nacreous clouds. The stratosphere layer, atoms and molecules escape into
extends from the top of the troposphere to space and satellites orbit the earth. At the
about 50 km (31 miles) above the ground. bottom of the exosphere is a transition layer
The infamous ozone layer is found within the called the thermopause.
stratosphere. Ozone molecules in this layer
absorb high-energy ultraviolet (UV) light
from the Sun, converting the UV energy into
• Biosphere - It contains all the planet's living
heat.
things. Within the biosphere, living things
• Mesosphere – Here the temperature again
form
decreases with height. The mesosphere is
the third region where meteors burn up ecological communities based on the physical
upon entry. Unlike the stratosphere, surroundings of an area. Such communities are
temperatures once again grow colder as you called biomes, such as deserts, tundra, and
rise up through the mesosphere. The coldest rainforest. By promoting the wise use of natural and
human resources, biosphere reserves contribute to
the region’s environmental, economic, and social
sustainability. They provide practical solutions for
resolving land use disputes and safeguarding
biological diversity. Life would not have been able to
live in these too hot or too cold conditions. Climate,
humidity, precipitation, temperature, erosion, and
other minor factors alter the land and living
conditions around living species. These elements
have the ability to have an effect at the molecular
level.

Biomes - A biome is an area classified according to

the species that live in that location. Temperature
range, soil type, and the amount of light and water
are unique to a particular place and form the niches
for specific species allowing scientists to define the
biome.