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What is Earth Science?

What is Earth Science?. The study of the earth’s systems and the interactions between these systems . Divided into 5 fields of study. Astronomy Meteorology Geology Oceanography E nvironmental Science. What are Earth’s Systems?. Geosphere Atmosphere Hydrosphere Biosphere. Geosphere.

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What is Earth Science?

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  1. What is Earth Science? The study of the earth’s systems and the interactions between these systems

  2. Divided into 5 fields of study • Astronomy • Meteorology • Geology • Oceanography • Environmental Science

  3. What are Earth’s Systems? • Geosphere • Atmosphere • Hydrosphere • Biosphere

  4. Geosphere Everything from the crust to the center of the earth.

  5. Geosphere The Forces Within the Earth Plate Tectonics (Ch 17) Earthquakes (Ch 19) Mountain Building ( Ch 20) Volcanism (Ch 18)

  6. In text turn to page 956 • Observe the continents • Does the shapes & position of the continents suggest they were once joined? Which Ones??

  7. Early Observations • 1500’s a Abraham OrteliusDutch cartographer noticed the apparent fit of continents on either side of the Atlantic Ocean • He proposed that N & S American was separated from Europe and Africa by earthquakes and floods… • Referenced as creator of the modern atlas

  8. 20th Century • 1912 Alfred Wagner presented his hypothesis that continents were slowly drifting around the Earth • Developed the continental drift theory

  9. Continental Drift Theory • Earth’s continents had been joined as a single landmass that broke apart and sent the continents adrift • Single Landmass supercontinent named Pangaea • Pangaea Greek word means all the Earth

  10. Pangaea • Break up about 200 million years ago. • Observed: puzzle like fit. • Evidence: rock, fossil and climate

  11. Rock Evidence Predicted: When Pangaea broke apart large geologic structures such as mountain ranges fractured during separation Investigated: Areas of similar rock types on opposite sides of the oceans View Figure 17.3 in TEXT p 470 Rock Layers in the Appalachian Mountains are identical to mountains in Greenland & Europe

  12. Fossil Evidence • Predicted: Land animals such as Lystrasaurus or Cynognathus could not have swum the great distances • Investigated: Similar fossils from several different plants & animals found on widely separated continents • Carbon dating of the fossils support the time frame of Pangaea breakup • View Figure 17.3 in TEXT p 470

  13. Climatic Evidence • Predicted: Fossils of plants like Glossopteris grew in temperate climates and found all over the world • Investigated: The area that separated these fossils is too large to have a single climate • For example fossil record of the plant in Antarctica & South Africa and S American • View Figure 17.3 in TEXT p 470

  14. Climatic Evidence • Coal Deposits : Existence of beds in Antarctica Frozen climate once had tropical climate • Glacial Deposits : Found in parts of Africa, India South America Locations of these continents too warm for ice formation

  15. Continental Drift Theory Flaws • 1st What force could push large mass over great distances • 2nd How the continents could move were through something solid like earth’s crust • They questions were the reasons why Wegener’s theory was rejected until the 1950s

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