Earth Life and Science - Semester 1, Cycle 1 PDF

SEMESTER 1; CYCLE 1: ELS Earth Life and Science 1. The Origin of the Universe The Universe - Everything. It includes all of space, and all the matter and energy that space contains. It even include...

SEMESTER 1; CYCLE 1: ELS Earth Life and Science 1. The Origin of the Universe The Universe - Everything. It includes all of space, and all the matter and energy that space contains. It even include time itself - Cosmetologist: Scientist who uses space-based Theories - The Big Bang Theory (13.7 billion years ago) a. Georges Lemaitre b. Concentrated in a small area that started expanding with a big explosion called the BIG BANG c. Small atoms of Hydrogen and Helium 1. Radiation Era (Pure Energy and no Matter) 2. Matter Era (Epochs) d. Drawbacks - Fails to explain how the universe was created - Violates the First Law of Thermodynamics and against assumptions of the law of entropy - Big Crunch Theory a. Andre Lichnerowicz b. Started with the Big Bang but it tells us that it will not continue forever. It will stop expanding and collapse into itself, pulling everything with it until it eventually turns into the biggest black hole. c. Drawbacks - Expansion is accelerating rather than being slowed by gravity - Oscillating Universe Theory a. Richard Tolman b. Combines both the Big Bang and the Big Crunch as part of a cyclical event. c. Big Bang (Expands) - Big Crunch (Collapse) - Big Bang (Explodes) d. Drawbacks - Suggests that the universe would collapse on its own after it reaches its full expansion, which would violate some current laws of physics - The Steady-State Theory a. Fred Hoyle b. Universe is always expanding but maintaining a constant average density c. Matter is continuously created to form new stars and galaxies d. Drawbacks: - Not parallel with the law of conservation of energy and mass - The Theory of Eternal Inflation a. Stephen Hawking b. Period of Exponential Inflation. Then slowed down, and the energy converted into matter and radiation c. Bubbles- in which inflation has stopped, allowing for the formation of stars and galaxies 2. The Solar System Milky Way (13.6 Billion years) - Barred spiral Solar System - Solar refers to SOL means SUN - System = Set of objects working together - Collection of eight planets and their moons in orbit around the sun - Smaller Bodies: Asteroids, Meteoroids, and Comets Origin of the Solar System - Features of the Solar System a. The planetary orbits are nearly circular. The elliptical orbits depart only slightly from being a perfect circle. b. The orbits of all planets are almost in the same plane. As a result, the Solar System is almost flat. c. All planets revolve around the Sun in a counterclockwise direction (Except Venus and Uranus d. The inner planets (Earth, Mercury, Venus, Mars) are rocky bodies while outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) are icy or gaseous bodies. e. 99% of the mass of the Solar System is concentrated in the Sun. Theories - Encounter Theory a. Formed from the material ejected from the sun during an encounter with another celestial object - Planetesimal Theory a. Form of encounter theory b. A passing star termed an intruding star nearly collided with the protosun. c. Proponents of the Planetesimal Theory - Thomas Chrowder :Chamberlin proposed that the accretion of minute solid particles created planets and their moons - Forest Ray Moulton provided the mathematical calculations d. Limitations of Planetesimal Theory - Planetesimal theory is no longer accepted today because hot material from the sun expands and dissipates rather than contracts. - Tidal Theory a. Formed as a result of a near collision between a passing star and the sun. b. Hot gas from the passing star condensed into planet c. Proponents of the Tidal Theory - James Hopwood Jeans, an English physicist and astronomer, and Harold Jeffreys, an English mathematician and astronomer d. Limitations of the Tidal Theory - The hot material from either star cannot contract. - The Nebular Theory a. Nebula contracts due to its gravity at the center, its rotational motion increases. b. Proponents of the Nebular Theory - Created by Immanuel Kant, Pierre Simon Laplace, and Emanuel Swedenborg c. Drawbacks  - Particles surrounding Saturn repel each other (contrary to the assumption that dust particles will be attached forming a planet.) - Does not follow the law of angular momentum 3. Thea Earth In the Solar System Goldilocks Zone - Habitable Zone (potential probability of a planet to sustain life.) - Range of Distances from star where temperatures are just right for liquid water to exist Earth - 3rd planet from the Sun and 5th Largest planet in the Solar System - Factors that make earth Habitable a. Distance from the sun - Temp is just right for Liquid to Exist - Optimal distance ensures Earth maintains a climate that can support life. b. Presence of the satellite (Moon) - Moon is the satellite of Earth. - Moon stabilizes Earth's axial tilt. c. Magnetic field (Magnetosphere) - Protects it from harmful solar and cosmic radiation. - Deflects most solar energetic particle radiation d. Rotation and revolution - Earth's rotation on its axis creates a 24-hour day-night cycle. - Results in seasonal changes e. Presence of liquid water - Liquid water is essential for all known forms of life. f. Presence of atmosphere - Traps heat, shields the surface from harmful radiation, and provides chemicals needed for life, such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide. 4. Four Subsystems of Earth Atmosphere (Gaseous Part) - Thin Blanket of gasses that surrounds earth - Atmos in Greek, means vapor or steam - Sphaira in Greek, means globe, terrestrial - The Karman line separates the atmosphere and outer space. - Nitrogen gas (N₂) is largely unreactive with most materials found in the Earth. Nitrogen is very stable in the presence of solar radiation. - Altitude increases, the pressure decreases, and the temperature has no general trend. - Layers of Atmosphere a. Troposphere (14.5km above) - It is the lowest layer where the weather disturbances occur. - Environmental lapse rate. All important weather phenomena occur here b. Stratosphere (20 km to 50 km above) - The ozone layer that protects Earth from the sun’s harmful UV radiation is part of this layer.  c. Mesosphere (50 km to 85 km above) - It protects Earth from the impact of space debris - Coldest temperatures on Earth. d. Thermosphere (85 km to 600 km) - Has charged particles that are affected by Earth’s magnetic field. - Particles create the Auroras or Northern and Southern lights - Many Satellites orbit this Layer e. Exosphere (10,000 km) - Outermost layer Geosphere (Solid Part) - Geo in Greek, means Ground or Earth - Includes Soil, Rocks, and Minerals - Divided into CRUST, MANTEL, OUTER CORE AND INNER CORE - Layers of Geosphere a. Crust - Outermost and thinnest layer of the geosphere. 1. Oceanic Crust 2. Continental Crust b. Mantle - 2900 km thick layer, mostly made up of silicate rocks rich in magnesium, iron, oxygen, and silicon. - Cold and brittle, and together with the crust forms the lithosphere. - The asthenosphere is the layer directly beneath the lithosphere. c. Core - The innermost layer of Earth - Made up of iron and nickel - Separated by a boundary called Bullen Discontinuity Hydrosphere (Liquid Part) - Hydro in Greek, means water - Composed of all water on Earth in any form. (97.5% saltwater, 2.5% freshwater) a. Saltwater: oceans and saline bodies b. Freshwater: Ice, snow, lakes, rivers, and groundwater Biosphere (Zone of Life) - All living things including the Microorganisms - Interaction between biotic communities and abiotic (ecosystem) - Type of Biomes a. Aquatic Biomes - Freshwater Biomes and Marine Biomes b. Forest biomes - Tropical Forests andTemperate Forests - Boreal forests or Taiga c. Grassland Biomes - Dominance of grasses and small shrubs like Savannah d. Desert biomes - Low Rainfall e. Tundra Biomes (Antarctica) - Coldest Biome, and Low biotic diversity and simple vegetation Structure 5. Rock and Minerals Mineral (Mineralogy) - Any naturally occurring inorganic solid that possesses an orderly crystalline structure and a definite chemical composition - Characteristics of a Mineral 1. Solid Substance: The atoms, molecules, or ions making up the mineral are closely packed together. 2. Definite chemical composition that allows for some variation: Minerals are chemical compounds having uniform compositions that can be expressed by a chemical formula. - Optical Properties of a Mineral 1. Luster: The appearance or quality of light reflected 2. Color: Slight impurities in minerals give them a variety of tints 3. Streak: The color of a mineral in powdered form 4. Hardness: A measure of the resistance of a mineral to abrasion or scratching 5. Cleavage: The tendency of a mineral to break (cleave) along planes of weak bonding. 6. Tenacity: Describes a mineral’s resistance to breaking, bending, cutting, or other forms of deformation. - Mineral Groups Based on Chemical Compositions a. Two main classes: silicates and non silicates Rocks - Any solid mass of minerals or mineral-like matter that occurs naturally as part of our planet. - Types of Rocks 1. Igneous Rocks (literally means “formed by fire”) a. Forms as magma or lava cools and crystallizes. b. Magma: Melting of ROCKS c. If Magma reaches the surface, it is called lava d. Intergrowth of crystals and/or volcanic glass. - Slowly Cooling: Fewer, Larger Crystals - Rapid Cooling: Small Intergrown Crystals e. Composed mainly of silicate minerals (dark and light) 2. Sedimentary Rocks a. Sedimentary rocks were formed from organic, mechanical or chemical sediments. (Process called Lithification) b. Sedimentary Rocks (Conglomerate, Sandstone, Bituminous Coal, Chert, Coal, Limestone) 1. Compaction: Accumulate and the materials below are compacted by the weight 2. Cementation: Water transports cementing materials that fills open spaces 3. Metamorphic Rocks a. Rocks that have been altered, changed, or transformed in the solid state due to changes in pressure, temperature conditions b. Metamorphism, which means “to change form,”, is a process that leads to changes in the mineralogy c. Formation of Metamorphic Rocks 1. When rock is intruded by magma, contact metamorphism may take place, as the magma heats 2. Great quantities of rock are subjected to pressures and high temperatures associated with large-scale deformation called regional metamorphism. Dp’s Reviewer, Goodluck!