1. Planet Earth: What is it made of and how does it change?
Planet Earth Unit
Topic 1 (Pgs )
Planet Earth: What is it made of and how does it change?

2. How were these Alberta landforms created?

3. What do YOU think is in our planet?
Geologists are scientists that study the Earth

4. The Layers of Planet Earth

5. The Layers of Planet Earth
The Crust
The outer layer of Earth, made up of the features we see (mountains, valleys, hills, plains, etc.)
This layer is bout km thick (the thinnest of all the layers)
The Mantle
The upper mantle is solid like the crust
The lower mantle melted rock that flows slowly (very hot here)
This layer is 2900 km thick and makes up 67% of the Earth’s mass
The crust and the upper mantle (solid layers) form the lithosphere

6. The Layers of Planet Earth
The Outer Core
This layer is so hot that rock is completely liquefied (molten)
This layer is about 2200 km thick
The Inner Core
This layer is solid even though it is VERY hot (7000°C)
The massive pressure from the other layers press the inner core into a hard ball of metals
This layer is about 1250 km thick

7. The Earth changes all the time, sometimes very quickly and sometimes very slowly
Sudden Changes
Earthquakes
Volcanoes
Tsunamis
Hurricanes
Tornados
Long-Term Changes
Erosion
Wind
Water
Ice
Weathering

8. Earthquakes What is an earthquake? How does an earthquake happen?
What are some of the side effects of an earthquake?

9. How Earthquakes Work
The first place where the rocks below the surface break is called the focus, and occurs along fault lines
The energy released by this sudden break is called spreads as waves called seismic waves
The point on the surface of the Earth directly above the focus is called the epicentre
Geologists use a seismogram to locate the epicentre and provide aid to those injured

11. No. of earthquakes per year
The Richter Scale
Richter scale no.
No. of earthquakes per year
Typical effects of this magnitude
< 3.4
Detected only by seismometers
30 000
Just about noticeable indoors
4 800
Most people notice them, windows rattle.
1400
Everyone notices them, dishes may break, open doors swing.
500
Slight damage to buildings, plaster cracks, bricks fall.
100
Much damage to buildings: chimneys fall, houses move on foundations. 15
Serious damage: bridges twist, walls fracture, buildings may collapse. 4
Great damage, most buildings collapse.
> 8.0
One every 5 to 10 years
Total damage, surface waves seen, objects thrown in the air.

12. Volcanoes
A volcano is an opening in the Earth’s crust that allows solid and molten rock to escape
Volcanoes are easier to predict than earthquakes
Magma - molten rock within the Earth
Lava - molten rock that flows out of a volcano
Ash - small, burnt particles from a volcanic eruption

13. Gradual Changes to the Earth
Weathering
The process of breaking down rocks by water, wind, or ice
Erosion
occurs when the pieces of rock broken down from weathering move from place to place

14. 3 Types of Weathering Mechanical Chemical Biological
Rocks are broken apart by forces, like wind or water
Chemical
Rocks are broken apart by chemicals, like acid rain or air pollution
Biological
Rocks are broken apart by living things, like tree roots or animal/human use

15. The Power of Moving Water
As rivers flow they carry sand, gravel, mud  these are called sediments
As these sediments sit on the bottom of lakes, rivers, oceans they become hard rocks  this is called sedimentation

16. Fast vs. Slow
Glaciers slowly grow and shrink, scraping the Earth’s crust as they move
Landslide