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Earth’s Geological Cycle

Earth’s Geological Cycle. What Are the Earth’s Major Geological Processes?. Main Processes: Plate Tectonics Rock Cycle Soil Formation. The Earth’s Structure. Earth’s Interior Core (Nickel & Iron) Inner Core (solid) Outer Core (liquid) Mantle Inner mantle (magma in motion)

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Earth’s Geological Cycle

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  1. Earth’s Geological Cycle

  2. What Are the Earth’s Major Geological Processes? • Main Processes: • Plate Tectonics • Rock Cycle • Soil Formation

  3. The Earth’s Structure • Earth’s Interior • Core (Nickel & Iron) • Inner Core (solid) • Outer Core (liquid) • Mantle • Inner mantle (magma in motion) • Asthenosphere – outer part of mantle, flexible rock • Outer mantle (solid) • Crust • Continental crust • Oceanic crust: 71% of crust, DENSE LITHOSPHERE

  4. Major Features of the Earth’s Crust and Upper Mantle

  5. Another look at

  6. The Earth Beneath Your Feet Is Moving • Why do the tectonic plates move? • Convection cells, or currents • Liquid rock is heated near the core and rises, cooler rock falls = convection currents INSIDE the earth

  7. Types of Boundaries • Three types of boundaries between plates • Divergent plates • Magma • Oceanic ridge • Convergent plates • Subduction zone • Trench • Volcano • Transform fault; e.g., San Andreas fault

  8. Spreading center Ocean trench Oceanic tectonic plate Oceanic tectonic plate Plate movement Plate movement Collision between two continents Tectonic plate Subduction zone Oceanic crust Oceanic crust Continental crust Continental crust Cold dense material falls back through mantle Material cools as it reaches the outer mantle Mantle convection cell Hot material rising through the mantle Two plates move towards each other. One is subducted back into the mantle on a falling convection current. Mantle Hot outer core Inner core Fig. 14-3, p. 346

  9. The Earth’s Major Tectonic Plates

  10. The San Andreas Fault as It Crosses Part of the Carrizo Plain in California, U.S.

  11. The Geological Cycle: Some Parts of the Surface Build Up & Some Wear Down • Internal geologic processes • Generally build up the earth’s surface • External geologic processes • Generally wear down the earth’s surface • Driven directly or indirectly by sun and gravity • Weathering • Physical, Chemical, and Biological • Erosion • Wind • Flowing water • Human activities • Glaciers

  12. Volcanoes Release Molten Rock from the Earth’s Interior • 1980: Eruption of Mount St. Helens • Worst volcanic disaster in US History • 1991: Eruption of Mount Pinatubo • Largest eruption of 20th century • Cooled the earth’s temperatures for 15 months 5 largest volcanic eruptions in recent history • Benefits of volcanic activity

  13. Mount Pinatubo

  14. Creation of a Volcano

  15. Measuring Earthquakes • There are more than one million earthquakes a year!! • Most are too small to be felt • Richter scale • Insignificant: <4.0 • Minor: 4.0–4.9 • Damaging: 5.0–5.9 • Destructive: 6.0–6.9 • Major: 7.0–7.9 • Great: >8.0 • Largest ever recorded: 9.5 in Chile on May 22, 1960

  16. Areas of Greatest Earthquake Risk in the United States

  17. Areas of Greatest Earthquake Risk in the World

  18. Major Features and Effects of an Earthquake

  19. Earthquakes on the Ocean Floor Can Cause Huge Waves Called Tsunamis • Tsunami, tidal wave • Caused by movement of the ocean floor • Can travel as fast as a jet plane across open ocean • Detection of tsunamis • DART (http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/Mov/DART_04.swf) • Pressure recorders on the ocean floor measure changes in pressure (increased waves) • December 2004: Indian Ocean tsunami • Magnitude of 9.15 • Role of coral reefs and mangrove forests in reducing death toll

  20. Formation of a Tsunami and Map of Affected Area of Dec 2004 Tsunami

  21. Shore near Gleebruk in Indonesia before and after the Tsunami on June 23, 2004 http://oar.noaa.gov/podcast/2009/video/NOAA_TsunamiForecastingNoMusic.mov

  22. Gravity and Earthquakes Can Cause Landslides • Mass wasting • Slow movement • Fast movement • Rockslides • Avalanches • Mudslides • Increased due to human activities • Forest Clearing • Road building • Crop Growing • Building houses on steep slopes

  23. Active Figure: Geological forces

  24. Active Figure: Plate margins

  25. The Cycling of Earth’s Rocks • The three major types of rocks found in the earth’s crust—sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic—are recycled very slowly by the process of erosion, melting, and metamorphism.

  26. The crust is composed of rocks & minerals • Minerals- elements or inorganic compounds that occur naturally in the earth’s crust as a solid with a regular internal crystalline structure • Ex: gold, diamond, silver, salt, quartzite • Rocks – a solid combination of one or more minerals found in the earth’s crust • Example: Granite = mica + feldspar + quartz

  27. Classifying Rocks There are three broad classes of rocks, based on formation Sedimentary (deposited) Igneous (volcanic) Metamorphic (heat & pressure)

  28. There Are Three Major Types of Rocks (1) Sedimentary Sandstone Shale Dolomite Limestone Lignite Bituminous coal

  29. There Are Three Major Types of Rocks (2) • Igneous (form the bulk of the earth’s crust) • Granite • Lava rock

  30. There Are Three Major Types of Rocks (3) Metamorphic Anthracite Slate Marble

  31. The Earth’s Rocks Are Recycled Very Slowly • Rock cycle • Slowest of the earth’s cyclic processes

  32. Erosion Transportation Weathering Deposition Igneous rock Granite, pumice, basalt Sedimentary rock Sandstone, limestone Heat, pressure Cooling Heat, pressure, stress Magma (molten rock) Melting Metamorphic rock Slate, marble, gneiss, quartzite Fig. 14-13, p. 354

  33. SOIL PPT STARTS HERE

  34. Soil Formation • The Importance of Soil • All life depends on the thin top layer of soil covering the earth’s surface. • Topsoil provides: • Support • Water • Air • Nutrients

  35. Weathering: Biological, Chemical, and Physical Processes

  36. Weathering: Breakdown of Rock near the Surface Mechanical • Geological Activity – abrasion • Glacial Activity • Expansion of ice • Effects of Temperature

  37. Erosion – by wind

  38. Erosion – by water

  39. Glacier Receding

  40. Wedging - Frost

  41. Weathering: Breakdown of Rock near the Surface Chemical Alteration • Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and various nitrogen compounds from the air form acids when dissolved in water. These acids may react with the rock and increase breakdown.

  42. Chemical Weathering

  43. Chemical Weathering

  44. WeatheringBreakdown of Rock near the Surface • Organic Processes • Wedging – Plant Roots

  45. Wedging - Roots

  46. What Determines Soil Type • Climate • Vegetation • Drainage • Time • Parent Material • Residual - Transported • Least Important Factor for Mature Soils

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