Welcome to Earth Science!

we don’t just study volcanoes and dinosaurs

Think: Try and name 3 of the most important Earth Science discoveries that

have occurred in the last 100 years.

1. Structure of the Earth: Earth has an solid inner core and an liquid outer core and this helps understand and interpret volcanoes and earthquakes. Mining technologies and seismographs helped.

2. Plate Tectonics: the continents were once all interconnected in a mass called Pangea. There are about 20 plates that are in motion, moving very slowly about a cm a year. The sea floor is spreading over a long geologic time period.

3. Structure of Atmosphere: there are distinct regions or layers of the atmosphere that surround the Earth with different form and function. Discovered using hot air balloons and technical instruments that recorded data.

4. Cosmic Radiation: the Earth is being bombarded radiation or energy from outer space not just the energy from the Sun. The magnetic field of the planet and the Earth’s atmosphere shields us.

5. Magnetic Field Reversal: there has been many times in geologic history when the Earth’s magnetic poles have reversed themselves. We may be in a reversal now and what happens when this occurs?

6. Periodic Ice Ages: The shape and characteristics of the Earth’s orbit around the sun has changed and continues to change predictably. This change has results in variation in the amount of heat energy the Earth absorbed form the Sun and has caused periodic “ice ages”.

7. Global Warming: tracked and recorded carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are showing higher levels than ever before in recorded history and are causing the ”greenhouse effect”. Planet Earth is warming.

8. Geologic Change: are changes on the Earth’s surface that happen very very slowly over long periods of time. The effects of wind, water, erosion, and the heating and cooling of the earth’s surface. Can you name something that seems to be changing fast “within our lifetime”?

9. Radiometric Dating: scientist have figured out the age of rocks, minerals and the Age of the Earth (4.5 byo) using techniques studying decay rates of radioactive isotopes.

Greatest Discoveries in Earth SciencE

1. Structure of the Earth: Earth has an solid inner core and an liquid outer core and this helps understand and interpret volcanoes and earthquakes. Mining technologies and seismographs helped.

2. Plate Tectonics: the continents were once all interconnected in a mass called Pangea. There are about 20 plates that are in motion, moving very slowly about a cm a year. The sea floor is spreading over a long geologic time period.

3. Structure of Atmosphere: there are district regions or layers of the atmosphere that surround the Earth with different form and function. Discovered using hot air balloons and technical instruments that recorded data.

4. Cosmic Radiation: the Earth is being bombarded radiation or energy form outer space not just the energy from the Sun. The magnetic field of the planet and the Earth’s atmosphere shields us.

Greatest Discoveries in Earth SciencE contd

5. Magnetic Field Reversal: there has been many times in geologic history when the Earth’s magnetic poles have reversed themselves. We may be in a reversal now and what happens when this occurs?

6. Periodic Ice Ages: The shape and characteristics of the Earth’s orbit around the sun has changed and continues to change predictably. This change has results in variation in the amount of heat energy the Earth absorbed form the Sun and has caused periodic “ice ages”.

7. Global Warming: tracked and recorded carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are showing higher levels than ever before in recorded history and are causing the ”greenhouse effect”. Planet Earth is warming.

8. Geologic Change: are changes on the Earth’s surface that happen very very slowly over long periods of time. The effects of wind, water, erosion, and the heating and cooling of the earth’s surface

9. Radiometric Dating: scientist have figured out the age of rocks, minerals and the Age of the Earth (4.5 byo) using techniques studying decay rates of radioactive isotopes.

Introduction to Earth Science

Why Study Earth Science?

I. What is Earth Science?the study of the Earth and the

universe around it…

the study of Earth systems and systems in space; including weather and climate systems, and the study of nonliving things such as rocks, oceans, and planets.

A. The Scope of Earth Science:

1. Astronomy: the study of objects beyond Earth’s

atmosphere.

The oldest branch of Earth Science.

2. Meteorology: the study of Earth’s atmosphere.

Weather Forecasters

Tornado Chasers

3. Geology: the study of the origin, history, and structure of

Earth.

Physical Geology- studies the materials and processes on Earth

Historical Geology – establishes a timeline for physical and biological changes that have happened on Earth

4. Oceanography: the study of the life and properties of Earth’s

oceans.JACQUES COUSTEAU

How much of our Earth is covered by water?

almost three-fourths (75%)!92% of this water is

ocean.

Nebular Hypothesis: How did the Earth and the solar system form?.

A. Begins with an enormous gas cloud made of mostly hydrogen and helium called a nebula.

B. Cloud starts spinning and contracting getting smaller

C. Cooling causes the formation of small rocky materials

D. Particles collect to form smaller asteroid size objects.

E. Asteroids combine to form planets and stars

B. Earth’s Four Spheres

Biosphere Hydrosphere

Geosphere Atmosphere

1. Geosphere: the area from the surface of Earth down to its center. Three main parts:

a)Crustb)Mantlec)Core

Inner coreOuter core

2. Atmosphere: the blanket of gases that surrounds our planet.

3. Hydrosphere: all the water on Earth.

4. Biosphere: all organisms on Earth and the environments in which they live.

How DO Scientists WORKScientific Method: series of organized problem-solving procedures that help scientists conduct experiments.

There are five (5) steps to the SCIENTIFIC METHOD:

Write these steps down in order

2. RESEARCH & GATHER INFORMATIONTo investigate a problem, one must gather information…

Measurement: comparing some aspect of an object with a standard unit (metric) .

Observation: use of senses to gather information about the world.

1. State the Problem, or Ask a Question?

3. Form a HypothesisHypothesis: a possible solution to a problem (an educated and reasonable guess)

4. Experiment Or Test the Hypothesis

Experimentation: procedure carried out to prove or disprove a hypothesis. Collect data and record results.

(a) Independent Variable: variable that you, the experimenter, changes

(b) Dependent Variable: variable that is affected by changes in the independent variable; factor being measured (depends on the independent variable)

(c) Constants – things that never change during the experiment

Scientific Method Scenario: David read that Fox brake pads and Best Break pads were the best on the

market. He always used NAPA pads and believed they performed the best. He decided to test all three pads and determine which was the best. David used the same car for each set of pads. He drove 25 mph and applied the breaks at the same point on the track. David then measured how many feet the car took to stop after the breaks were applied.

 1. The hypothesis was: ____________________________________   2. The effects of the ________________(independent variable) on the __________________________________ (dependent variable).  3. List three constants:

•______________________________________•______________________________________•______________________________________

 

5. State a Conclusion+ Communicate

After many experiments and observations, the hypothesis is either proved or disproved…scientist share their results an findings by writing papers, publishing and presenting findings at conferences..we add to the body of knowledge we call Science!

Communication in Sciencelab reportsgraphsModelsMake presentationsShare information

Scientific FACT:- a controlled, repeatable and rigorously verified observation

- Ex. The Earth rotates once around every 24 hours

Scientific THEORY:- an explanation based on many observations

during repeated investigations- the best available explanation of a phenomenon- a hypothesis that is supported by the

experiments- may change with the discovery of new data- Ex. Theory of Evolution, Cell Theory, Theory of

Plate Tectonics, Heliocentrism (revolutionary)

Scientific LAW:- a theory that is proven every time it is tested- describes the behavior of a natural phenomenon- a ‘rule of nature’- cause of the law may not be known- describes things; does not explain them- accepted based on observations or experiments - Ex “ Law of Universal Gravitation”, Laws of

Thermodynamics, Gas Laws

"Scientific laws are the evidence used to support a conclusion. 

Scientific theories are our best attempts at explaining the behavior of the world, in ways that can be tested by further experiment. 

The facts (the scientific laws) must convince us that our theory is a good explanation for what happened."

What Happened to the Dinosaurs?

Meteorite Impact Theory

Meteorite hit the earth 65 million years ago

The impact created so much dust it blocked out the sun

No sun, no plants…almost everything died

Explains the extinction of the dinosaurs

http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/communication/lee/page1.htmlProof:Computer models Deformed quartz Iridium around the impact site