Earth's Four Subsystems Quiz

Earth’s Subsystems

• Biosphere: Comprises all living organisms and ecosystems on Earth.
• Hydrosphere: Encompasses all water bodies, including oceans, glaciers, rivers, and groundwater.
• Geosphere: Represents the solid portions of the Earth, extending from the core to the crust, including:
  • Crust
  • Mantle
  • Outer core
  • Inner core
• Atmosphere: Layer of gases surrounding the planet, primarily made of:
  • Nitrogen (78%)
  • Oxygen (21%)
  • Other gases (1%), including argon, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone.

Interactions Among Subsystems

• Atmosphere provides heat and energy to the geosphere, facilitating rock breakdown and erosion processes.
• Biosphere receives essential elements such as gases, heat, and sunlight (energy) from the atmosphere, as well as water from the hydrosphere and a supportive environment from the geosphere.

Essential Elements

• Temperature: Regulated primarily by solar energy from the Sun, influencing atmospheric conditions.
• Water: Critical for all life forms and processes; part of the hydrosphere.
• Energy: Vital for driving biological and geological processes; derived from the Sun.

Minerals

• Defined as the building blocks of rocks.
• Characteristics of minerals:
  • Naturally Occurring: Formed through Earth's natural geological processes.
  • Inorganic: Not produced by biological processes; must originate from physical processes of the Earth.
  • Homogeneous Solid: Possess a definite and uniform shape and volume.
  • Crystalline Structure: Atoms are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern.
  • Chemical Composition: Can be represented by a specific chemical formula.