100% correct
What is the integrated approach to study in Earth Sciences?
Earth System Science (ESS) - complex system with many interacting parts
ESS divides the earth into a series of what spheres?
atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere
What is the biosphere
the part of Earth where life exists
What is the lithosphere
the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
what is the hydrosphere
All the water on earth
what is the cryosphere
All frozen water on earth
,what is the asthenosphere?
upper mantle material that acts as a lubricating layer over the moving
lithospheric plates
what are the basic three fold classification of rocks?
igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary
How do igneous rocks form?
forms from the cooling and crystallization of molten material. the molten
material is from the partial melting of the mantle or rocks in the crust.
What are igneous rocks composed of
interlocking crystals
What are the 2 types of igneous rocks
volcanic/extrusive, plutonic/intrusive
how are volcanic/extrusive igneous rocks formed?
if the melt cools on the surface of the earth. therefore cools more rapidly and
has very small crystals
, how are plutonic/intrusive igneous rocks formed?
the magma cools under the surface, and this is eventually exposed at the
surface via weathering and erosion. cool slowly and possess large crystals
how do metamorphic rocks form?
alteration of preexisting rocks (igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary) at
elevated temperatures and pressures. rocks can be compressed, flattened ,
new minerals may be generated. it's also a result of compressional forces
when plates collide. pressure and temp increase with depth
what are the three ways sedimentary rocks are formed?
physical erosion/weathering of another rock: forms a clastic sedimentary.
Composed of the fragments and grains of the rocks that were eroded
Chemical precipitation: forms an evaporite. when a body of water like a lake or
inland sea evaporates to form layers of salt.
Biological precipitation of minerals: production of coral reefs, sediments
composed of shells, clams, skeletons of planktons, deposition of plant
material in swamps to form peat and coal.
types of clastic sedimentary rocks
sandstone, siltstone, mudstone
What process produced the most commercially mined salt?
Chemical precipitation: when a body of water evaporates to form layers of salt