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Understanding Earth: A Complex and Changing Planet

Earth scientists use repeatable observations and testable ideas to explain our dynamic planet. Earth is 4.6 billion years old and consists of a complex system of rock, water, air, and life. Humans depend on Earth for resources but also alter it, while natural hazards pose risks. Discover the age of the universe and the solar system and learn about the composition of Earth's geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.

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Understanding Earth: A Complex and Changing Planet

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  1. Big Idea #1: Earth scientists use repeatable observations and testable ideas to understand and explain our planet.

  2. Big Idea #2: Earth is 4.6 billion years old.

  3. Big Idea #3: Earth is a complex system of interacting rock, water, air and life. (A SYSTEM OF SYSTEMS!)

  4. Big Idea #4: Earth continuously changing.

  5. Big Idea #5: Earth is the water planet.

  6. Big Idea #6: Life evolves on a dynamic Earth and continuously modifies Earth.

  7. Big Idea #7: Humans depend on Earth for resources.

  8. Big Idea #8: Natural hazards pose risks to humans.

  9. Big Idea #9: Humans significantly alter the Earth.

  10. Q. What is the Age of Universe?

  11. Q. What is the Age of Universe? A. About 13.7 billion years (Ga)

  12. Q. What is the Age of Universe? A. About 13.7 billion years (Ga) Q. How do we know this?

  13. Q. What is the Age of Universe? A. About 13.7 billion years (Ga) Q. How do we know this? A. Intensity vs. Red shift of galaxies

  14. Q. What is the Age of Universe? A. About 13.7 billion years (Ga) Q. How do we know this? A. Intensity vs. Red shift of galaxies Q. What is the Age of the Solar System?

  15. Q. What is the Age of Universe? A. About 13.7 billion years (Ga) Q. How do we know this? A. Intensity vs. Red shift of galaxies Q. What is the Age of the Solar System? A. 4.56 Ga

  16. Q. What is the Age of Universe? A. About 13.7 billion years (Ga) Q. How do we know this? A. Intensity vs. Red shift of galaxies Q. What is the Age of the Solar System? A. 4.56 Ga Q. How do we know this?

  17. Q. What is the Age of Universe? A. About 13.7 billion years (Ga) Q. How do we know this? A. Intensity vs. Red shift of galaxies Q. What is the Age of the Solar System? A. 4.56 Ga Q. How do we know this? A. Radiometric dating of meteorites

  18. Q. How large is the Milky Way?

  19. Q. How large is the Milky Way? 80,000 light years

  20. Q. How large is the Milky Way? 80,000 light years Q. What's a light year?

  21. Q. How large is the Milky Way? 80,000 light years Q. What's a light year? (3 x 108 m/s x 365.25 days x 24 hr x 60 min x 60 s = about 9.5 x 1015 m) So the Milky Way is 80,000 x 9.5 x 1015 m = 7.6 x 1020 m = 7.6 x 1017 km = 5 x 1017 mi 8 x 1017 km = 800,000,000,000,000,000 km (I have no concept of how big this is)

  22. …and the universe is a whole lot bigger than this.

  23. Geosphere Composition of Crust (%): Weight Moles Volume Oxygen 47.2 61.7 93.8 Silicon 28.2 21.0 0.9 Aluminum 8.2 6.4 0.5 Iron 5.1 1.9 0.4 Composition of Whole Earth (weight %): Iron 35 Oxygen 30 Silicon 15 Magnesium 13 Nickel 2.4

  24. Hydrosphere: 96.5% in Oceans 3.5% in glaciers, groundwater ~0% in streams, lakes, atmosphere, biosphere 71% of Earth’s surface is covered with water. If Earth were a perfect sphere, it would be covered with 2.25 km of water.

  25. Atmosphere: Composition: N2 - 78.1% O2 - 20.9% Ar - 0.93% H2O - 0.1% CO2 - 0.039% (increasing) Ne - 0.0018%

  26. Earth's magnetic field LOOKS LIKE there is a tilted, offset, wandering, bar magnet in its core. (But there isn’t!!) Fluid flow (convection) of liquid iron in Earth’s outer core creates the magnetic field.  Magnetohydrodynamo

  27. The magnetosphere protects us from ionized particles of solar wind.

  28. Biosphere: Extends from the seafloor and deep crust, to the tops of mountains and the atmosphere. 3 - 300 million species; ~1.5 million identified VERY significant geological agent (Ex: atmosphere, weathering)

  29. Temperature 0ºC (~273 K) ~4000ºC ~6000ºC 3.62 Megabars 1 “bar” Pressure

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