Lesson 1 What is Earth A group of

Lesson 1

What is Earth? • A group of systems made of different materials that work in different ways • Air, Water, Land, Life • Biosphere – the system that contains all living things • Atmosphere – the mixture of gases that forms a thin layer around Earth • Hydrosphere – the system containing all Earth’s water • ______

How much water? • 1. 3 billion cubic kilometers • Ocean – largest bodies of water with lots of dissolved minerals, salt water, 97% • Freshwater – 3% of Earth’s water; 79% of which is frozen and 20% is in the ground • Surface water – 87% lakes; 2% rivers • ___________

More spheres • Groundwater – water stored in cracks and pores beneath Earth’s surface • Cryosphere – the frozen portion of water on Earth’s surface • Geosphere – the solid part of Earth; rock and soil • Minerals – naturally occurring, inorganic solids that have crystal structures and definite chemical compositions • Rock – a naturally occurring solid composed of minerals and sometimes other materials such as organic matter • ____________

Earths’ Structure • Crust • Mantle • Core

Lesson 2

Water Cycle • the continuous movement of water on, above, and below Earth’s surface • Evaporation – the process by which a liquid, such as water, changes into a gas • Transpiration – the process by which plants release water vapor through their leaves • Condensation – the process by which a gas changes into a liquid • Precipitation – moisture that falls from clouds to Earth’s surface • 75% of precipitation falls into the ocean

Review • Weather – the state of the atmosphere at a certain time and place • Temperature, pressure, wind, humidity, clouds • Influenced by conditions in the geosphere and hydrosphere • Climate – the average weather pattern for a region over a long period of time

Rock cycle • the series of processes that transport and continually change rocks into different forms • Cooling and crystallization • Magma • Uplift – the process that moves large bodies of Earth materials to higher elevations

Rock Cycle (cont) • Weathering and erosion • Deposition • Compaction and cementation • High temperatures and pressure • Process – a natural phenomenon marked by gradual changes that lead toward a particular result