Physical Systems Earth

Where in the universe are we? You live on Earth, 3rd rock from the Sun, which is a terrestrial planet, this means it has a__________________. Mercury, Venus, and Mars are also terrestrial planets. Those big fellas past Mars are the__________________, which means they are made up of more gas than us and are less dense. Pluto is a__________________, or a small round body that orbits the sun. YOU ARE HERE Remember-terra is Latin for land or earth.

The asteroids are coming, the asteroids…!! Thousands of small objects revolve around the sun, just like we do, and sometimes they pass by us and can even enter our atmosphere and strike us. They are 1) 2) 3) Not to burst the bubble of any Doomsday Preppers, but we get hit by meteorites all the time; although they can be locally catastrophic, not many of the things that hit us from outer space do much long-term, global damage.

Earth Questions: Our atmosphere contains ____________% nitrogen, ____________% oxygen, and small amounts of ___________ and other gases. 2) Which sphere do you live in?

Earth’s Landforms Define the following landforms that can be found on Earth: basin lowland canyon mesa cape mountain cliff peak continent range peninsula continental shelf plain divide plateau highland seacoast hill valley island volcano isthmus

Highs and Lows The highest point on Earth is _______________. The lowest point on land is ______________________. The lowest point on the planet’s surface is the _____________________.

Where are the highs & lows found?

How do we get from this This is _________________, the supercontinent of Earth 500 million years ago.

to this?

To understand our planet, you have to understand the FORCES that shaped it. The very center is the inner core, which is believed to be ___________________ ________________________________. Outside of the inner core is the outer core, which is probably made up of _______________________________. The mantle is made up of ___________ _____________________________ and continuously rises, cools, sinks, warms up again, then rises again. Why does it matter that the mantle is constantly expanding and contracting? The crust is a _____________________

The theory behind plate tectonics is that… The crust of the Earth is made up of more than a dozen great slabs of rock, called plates, that are floating on a partially melted layer of rock in the upper mantle. Plates? The theory that all the continents were once joined and then slowly drifted apart over millions of years is called _________________. The theory behind plate tectonics is that… Moving plates are constantly changing the face of the planet; they create…

Internal Forces of Change Mountains are formed when… or when… When a sea plate slides under a continental plate and lifts it up, this is called __________________. Because the sea plate plunges down into the molten mantle, it too melts and erupts through the crust to form ________________. An example of this type of process is ______________________.

May the INTERNAL FORCES be with you… Accretion is when… When two sea plates converge, causing one to slide under the other, it can form __________________________. When sea plates pull apart, in a process known as ______________, what happens? Folds are formed when… Whereas faults are formed when… Earthquakes are… Earthquakes are called seismic activity and are measured on a seismograph. Where is the Ring of Fire and why is it risky to live there?

It’s your FAULT What does this map tell us?

Shake it up, baby… Question: What would a map like this be used for? What areas of the world experience the most seismic activity?

Volcanic Activity Volcanos are formed when… or when…

Volcanos-Not Just For Pompey…

Questions… Using the maps on slides 15 and 17, what area of the world is most dangerous to live? Safest? Now look at the population density map on the next slide. Does anything surprise you? Why or why not?

People of the world

External Forces of Change Wind and water movements change the surface of our planet. This involves two processes, _________________ and _________________.

Weathering Physical weathering is when… Chemical weathering is when… Which weathering process likely helped form the Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico?

Erosion There are 3 types of erosion: _____________, ________________, and _________________. Wind erosion occurs when… Glacial erosion occurs when… A large pile of rocks and debris left in the wake of glaciers is a ___________________. The two types of glaciers are _________________ and ____________________. Greenland is an example of a ___________________. Many mountain valleys in North America were formed as mountain glaciers moved downhill. Water erosion begins when… A V-shaped valley was formed by _________________________, whereas a U-shaped valley was likely formed by ________________________.