A Beautiful World

Please take the following survey:

SURVEY
Biosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Geosphere

Earth Unit Assessment

1st Hour Quiz

2nd Hour Quiz

5th Hour Quiz

After test please complete 
​the Solar System virtual laboratory and questions (click here).


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Earth's Atmosphere - Virtual Lab

Use the link below to complete the Atmospheric Virtual Lab. Please complete the chart AND Journal Questions found on the lab.


Virtual Lab Here

The 'Bulging' Earth

Eratosthenes was a Greek scholar who was the first person to determine the circumference of the Earth.

The bulge at the Equator is too small to be seen on a diagram like this one. The Earth's diameter measured north-south is 7,900 miles, but east-west, 7926 miles. The Earth is shaped like an oblate spheroid (which means a non-perfect sphere).


Earth-Moon System

Comparing the chemical composition of the Earth and the Moon bring surprising results.  The Earth was hit by a small planet named Theia and the resulting collision led to the material coalescing into the Earth-Moon system.

Earth orbits, on average, 93 million miles from the Sun. This distance is defined as one Astronomical Unit (AU).
  1. The Earth is closest to the Sun, this is called perihelion, around January 2 each year (91.4 million miles).
  2. It is farthest away from the Sun, this is called aphelion, around July 2 each year (94.8 million miles).

The Earth tilts on its axis at about 23.5º. This tilt actually causes the seasons.

Layers of the Earth

The earth consists of several layers.
The three main layers are:
● the core
● the mantle
● the crust
​The Moon's History:

The Moon is almost 238,000 miles away.

Prior to the study of the Apollo samples, there was no consensus about the origin of the Moon. There were three principal theories:
➢co-accretion which asserted that the Moon and the Earth formed at the same time from the Solar Nebula;
➢fission which asserted that the Moon split off of the Earth; and
➢capture which held that the Moon formed elsewhere and was subsequently captured by the Earth.None of these work very well.

The newer and detailed information from the Moon rocks led to the impact theory: that the Earth collided with a very large object (as big as Mars or more) and that the Moon formed from the ejected material. There are still details to be worked out, but the impact theory is now widely accepted.

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The Core

  • This part of the earth is about 1,800 miles below the earth's surface.
  • The core is a dense ball of the elements iron and nickel.
  • It is divided into two layers, the inner core and the outer core.

Core effects:
Because the earth rotates, the outer core spins around the inner core and that causes the earth's magnetism.
  • This part of the earth is about 1,800 miles below the earth's surface.
  • The core is a dense ball of the elements iron and nickel.
  • It is divided into two layers, the inner core and the outer core.

Mantle

Under the crust is the rocky mantle, which is composed of silicon, oxygen, magnesium, iron, aluminum, and calcium. 
  • The upper mantle is rigid and is part of the lithosphere (together with the crust).
  • The lower mantle flows slowly, at a rate of a few centimeters per year.

​The asthenosphere is a part of the upper mantle that exhibits plastic properties.

​Crust

This crust is not a solid shell; it is broken up into huge, thick Tectonic Plates that drift atop the soft, underlying mantle. 

Most Earthquake activity takes place where the Tectonic Plates meet – Fault lines

​The Moon's Characteristics:

​The temperature on the Moon ranges from daytime highs of about 265°F to nighttime lows of about -170°F

The surface of the moon is scarred by millions of (mostly circular) impact craters, caused by asteroids, comets, and meteorites. There is no atmosphere on the moon to help protect it from bombardment from potential impactors (most objects from space burn up in our atmosphere). Also, there is no 

A rille is a long, narrow valley on the surface of the moon.

Tides are caused by the gravitational interaction between the Earth and the Moon. 

​The gravitational attraction of the moon causes the oceans to bulge out in the direction of the moon.erosion (wind or precipitation) and little geologic activity to wear away these craters, so they remain unchanged until another new impact changes it. 
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Use the link below to investigate earthquakes; complete at least 8 trials using as many different variables as possible.


Earthquake Investigation Here
 
Complete a table with each variable as follows:

After selecting/writing the category for each trial take a moment and summarize the 'Aftermath' category.

Earthquake Investigation Questions - Complete sentences please

1.  Was there a structure that was able to withstand the Superquake category? 
2.  Which category of Reinforcement is most effective? Why do you believe this to be the case?
3. What problem continually occurs during earthquakes in coastal zones?

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Useful Diagrams