Earth-Science-Reviewer-1.pdf

Earth Science Reviewer For instance, a river, part of the hydrosphere, carries water over Earth’s Essential Characteristics and land. As the water flows, it can pick Interconnected Sys...

Earth Science Reviewer For instance, a river, part of the hydrosphere, carries water over Earth’s Essential Characteristics and land. As the water flows, it can pick Interconnected Systems up rocks and soil particles, gradually wearing away the riverbed and Earth’s Subsystems banks. 1.) Geosphere - encompasses b. Ground Water - represents the everything from the planet's core to its interface between water and the surface, including rocks, minerals, soils, solid Earth, or geosphere. and even fossilized remains. For instance, rainwater seeping into 2.) Hydrosphere – encompasses all the soil replenishes underground the water on Earth, existing in various water reserves. Conversely, forms and states including oceans, groundwater can discharge into which dominate the planet's surface, as rivers, lakes, and oceans, returning well as freshwater bodies like lakes, water to the hydrosphere. rivers, streams, and underground aquifers. It interacts with the geosphere 2.) Geosphere and Atmosphere through processes like erosion and a. Volcanic Eruption – represents a weathering, while also supporting life in dramatic and dynamic interaction the biosphere. between the geosphere and 3.) Atmosphere - a gaseous layer, atmosphere. influencing climate and interacting with For instance, when a volcano the biosphere through gas exchange, erupts, it propels vast quantities of such as photosynthesis and respiration. gases, ash, and molten rock - Troposphere - closest to Earth's (magma) into the atmosphere. surface, is where weather patterns These releases include carbon occur. dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and water - Stratosphere - containing the ozone vapor, which can impact global layer, which shields us from harmful climate patterns. UV rays. b. Weathering - the breakdown of - Mesosphere - directly above the rocks and minerals at the Earth’s stratosphere and below the surface. thermosphere For instance, a rock exposed to - Thermosphere - the atmospheric fluctuating temperatures can cause region from ∼85 to ∼500 km it to expand and contract. Over altitude, containing the ionosphere time, this constant stress can lead - Exosphere - the outermost layer of to the formation of cracks. When the atmosphere. water seeps into these cracks and 4.) Biosphere - comprising all life, shapes freezes, it expands, exerting the geosphere through processes like pressure on the rock and causing it soil formation and influences the to break apart into smaller pieces. atmosphere through gas regulation. 3.) Geosphere and Biosphere Interconnectedness a. Soil formation – the geosphere 1.) Geosphere and Hydrosphere through its geological processes, a. Erosion - the gradual wearing away creates the bedrock that undergoes of Earth's surface. weathering to form soil particles. The biosphere contributes to soil  formation through the actions of b. Climate regulation plants, animals, and For instance, forests act as carbon microorganisms. sinks, absorbing carbon dioxide b. Mineral resources – the geosphere from the atmosphere and storing it provides the geological processes in their biomass. This helps to and environments necessary for mitigate climate change by reducing mineral formation through the concentration of greenhouse processes like magmatism, gases. metamorphism, and sedimentation, various minerals are created and 7.) All Four Spheres deposited within the Earth’s crust. a. Carbon cycle - the process that The biosphere, however, influences moves carbon between plants, mineral distribution and animals, and microbes; minerals in concentration. the earth; and the atmosphere. b. Nitrogen cycle - a biogeochemical 4.) Hydrosphere and Atmosphere process through which nitrogen is a. Water Cycle – a continuous process converted into many forms, of water movement between the consecutively passing from the Earth’s surface and the atmosphere to the soil to organism atmosphere. Water evaporates into and back into the atmosphere. the atmosphere, falls as precipitation, infiltrates the Renewable and Nonrenewable Resource lithosphere, flows through the hydrosphere, and supports life in Renewable Resources the biosphere. 1.) Solar Energy 2.) Geothermal Energy - uses the Earth’s 5.) Hydrosphere and Biosphere internal heat from radioactive decay a. Aquatic Ecosystem – supports a and volcanic activity harnessed through diverse range of life forms. For direct use systems for heating, instance, the algae, through geothermal power plants for electricity, photosynthesis, produce oxygen, or heat pumps for climate control. which is essential for the survival of 3.) Hydroelectric - converts flowing water aquatic animals. In turn, these into electricity using methods like animals contribute to nutrient impoundment facilities with dams, cycling by consuming algae and pumped storage for energy balancing, other organisms, impacting the and run-of-river systems that utilize water quality and overall ecosystem natural river flows. health. b. Photosynthesis – the process of Nonrenewable Resource converting sunlight into chemical 1.) Fossil Fuels - natural substances formed energy by plants, algae, and certain from the remains of ancient plants and bacteria. animals buried and subjected to high pressure 6.) Atmosphere and Biosphere and temperature over millions of years. a. Respiration - a biological process Coal - originates from plant that involves the exchange of gases material buried in swampy between organisms and their environments that transforms environment. through coalification into peat,  lignite, bituminous coal, and finally - Intrusive igneous rocks, or plutonic anthracite, and is used for rocks, cool slowly below the electricity generation and industrial surface, allowing larger crystals to purposes but causes significant form, which are often visible to the environmental pollution and land naked eye. degradation. Releases large amounts of carbon dioxide and 2.) Metamorphic - forms on or near the other greenhouse gases when Earth's surface through erosion, burned. weathering, dissolution, precipitation, a. Oil (Petroleum) - forms from and lithification. Forms from the ancient marine microorganisms alteration of existing rocks through buried under sediment, where heat heat, pressure, and/or chemical and pressure convert them into processes. crude oil that migrates to 3.) Sedimentary - form from existing reservoirs; it is essential for rocks—whether sedimentary, igneous, transportation fuels, heating, and or even another metamorphic rock— chemical production, but its under specific conditions within the extraction and use lead to oil spills, Earth. Formed by compaction and air pollution, and climate change. cementation of sediments. b. Natural Gas - forms similarly from marine organisms, producing MINING methane and other gases that accumulate in reservoirs; it is used Mining is the process of extracting valuable for energy and chemical production geological resources from the Earth's surface. and is considered cleaner than coal and oil but poses risks like methane Finding Ore Minerals leaks, groundwater contamination, 1. Geological exploration is a and potential seismic activity from foundational – involves systematic fracking. fieldwork to map and analyze rock formations. Rocks and Minerals 2. Remote sensing - employs advanced technology to collect data from Minerals - A mineral is a naturally occurring, distance, providing a broad overview of solid substance composed of inorganic large areas that might be difficult to elements arranged in a specific, repeating access on the ground (aerial and pattern. (Ex. Talc, Feldspar, Graphite and Halite) Rocks - An aggregate of one or more minerals, satellite). or a body of undifferentiated mineral matter. 3. Drilling and sampling - involves boring into the ground to extract core samples Types of Rocks that provide a continuous cross-section 1.) Igneous - created when magma (molten of the Earth's subsurface. rock) cools and solidifies, either at the 4. Geophysical surveys - use physical Earth's surface through volcanic activity properties to detect subsurface ore or while still underground within the crust. Classified into two main types: deposits by measuring variations in the - Extrusive igneous rocks, also known Earth's physical fields. as volcanic rocks, cool rapidly when 5. Geochemical surveys - involve lava solidifies. analyzing soil, rock, and sediment  samples to detect the presence of trace Human Impact on Water and Soil Resources elements and minerals indicative of ore deposits. - Urbanization increases hard surfaces, 6. Historical records - play a significant decreasing groundwater recharge. role in mineral exploration by providing - Landfills impact groundwater by insights from past mining and contaminating groundwater with exploration activities. harmful chemicals. - Tillage and crop production can erode Mining Ore Minerals topsoil, reducing soil fertility. - A region experiences soil erosion due to 1. Surface Mining – involves removing the removal of vegetation for overburden, which is the layer of soil, construction projects. rock, and other material covering the ore deposit, to access and extract the underlying minerals. a. Open-pit mining - involves removing large quantities of overburden (the soil, rock, and other material covering the ore) to create a wide, terraced excavation or pit. (Ex. Didipio Mine for gold and copper) b. Split mining- involves removing overburden in long, narrow strips or sections. (Ex. Semirara Coal Mine for coal) 2. Underground Mining Method - involves creating tunnels or shafts to access ore bodies that are not feasible to reach through surface mining methods like open-pit or strip mining a. Room-and-pillar mining - involves mining the ore in a grid-like pattern, where large "rooms" or chambers are excavated while leaving "pillars" of unmined ore to support the roof of the mine. (Ex. Itogon Mine) b. Cut-and-fill mining - involves a systematic approach where the ore body is mined in horizontal slices or "cuts." (Ex. Antamok Mine)