Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Earth Science Book 9th Grade

Earth science

Earth science (also known as geo science, the geo sciences or the Earth sciences), is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences. The formal discipline of Earth sciences may include the study of the atmosphere, oceans and biosphere, as well as the solid earth.

Earth's interior

Beneath the Earth's crust lies the mantle which is heated by the radioactive decay of heavy elements. The mantle is not quite solid and consists of magma which is in a state of semi-perpetual convection. This convection process causes the lithe spherical plates to move, albeit slowly. The resulting process is known as plate tectonics.

 Plate tectonics might be thought of as the process by which the earth is resurfaced. Through a process called spreading ridges , new earth crust is created by the flow of magma from underneath the lithosphere to the surface, through fissures, where it cools and solidifies. Through a process called subduction, crust is pushed underground—beneath the rest of the lithosphere—where it comes into contact with magma and melts—rejoining the mantle from which it originally came.

Areas of the crust where new crust is created are called divergent boundaries, and areas of the crust where it is brought back into the earth are called convergent boundaries. Earthquakes result from the movement of the lithe spherical plates, and they often occur near convergent boundaries where parts of the crust are forced into the earth as part of subduction.

Volcanoes result primarily from the melting of subducted crust material. Crust material that is forced into the Astheno sphere melts, and some portion of the melted material becomes light enough to rise to the surface—giving birth to volcano.

Earth's spheres
Earth science generally comprises of four spheres, the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere; these correspond to rocks, water, air, and life. Some practitioners include, as part of the spheres of the Earth, the cryo sphere (corresponding to ice) as a distinct portion of the hydrosphere, as well as the pedo sphere (corresponding to soil) as an active and intermixed sphere.

Earth's electromagnetic field
An electromagnet is a magnet that is created by a current that flows around a soft-iron core. Earth has a soft iron core surrounded by semi-liquid materials from the mantle that move in continuous currents around the core; therefore, the earth is an electromagnet. This is referred to as the dynamo theory of Earth's magnetism. The fact that Earth is an electromagnet helps it maintain an atmosphere suitable for life.

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