MondayNovember 5, 2012(The Birth and Evolution of a Planet; Earth’s

Spheres)

The Launch PadMonday, 11/5/12

Please pick up a worksheet on your way in.

List three things that the Earth has that the Moon doesn’t have.an atmosphere

liquid water

life

AnnouncementsHappy November!

Assignment Currently Open

Summative or

Formative?Date Issued Date Due Date Into

GradeSpeed Final Day

Quiz 7 S2 10/12 10/12 11/7Quiz 8 S3 10/19 10/19 11/7

Quiz 9 S4 10/26 10/26 11/9

Quiz 10 S5 11/2 11/2 11/16

Recent Events in ScienceNASA Adds Up Hurricane Sandy's Rainfall from Space

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121101172152.htm

Read All About It!

NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, or TRMM,

satellite acts as a rain gauge in space as it orbits Earth's

tropics. As TRMM flew over Hurricane Sandy since its birth

on Oct. 21, it was gathering data that has now been

mapped to show how much rain the storm dropped along

the U.S. eastern seaboard.

The Earth from the

Moon

As Apollo 8 orbited the Moon on

Christmas Eve, 1968, the astronauts

remarked at how beautiful our home

planet looked hanging there in the vastness of space.

The Grand Oasis in Space

Our Home

Almost to a man, the astronauts were glad they got to go, but always kept

an eye turned back toward home.So, this is the story of our home

planet, a world that is unique, fragile, and vulnerable.

The Birth of a PlanetWe have seen that the Nebular Hypothesis Theory assumes that our Solar System was formed from a flat, rotating disk with the

protosun at the center. The inner planets begin to form from

metallic and rocky substances that can only crystallize at higher temperatures.

In the colder outer Solar System, the larger planets began forming from gases and ices,

such as H2O, CO2, NH3, CH4, and other compounds.

Here in the inner Solar System, in the planet that would one day be known as

Earth, iron and nickel melted and sank to form the metallic core, while lighter, rocky materials rose to form the upper mantle

and Earth’s crust.

Early Evolution of Earth Origin of Earth - The Nebular

Hypothesis • Most researchers believe that Earth

and the other planets formed at essentially the same time.

• Our solar system evolved from an enormous rotating cloud called a

protoplanetary disk. (A)• The nebula was composed mostly of

hydrogen and helium gases, and dust.

• About 5 billion years ago the nebula began to contract. (B)

• The nebula assumed a flat, disk shape (accretion disk) with the protosun

(pre-Sun) at the center. (C)• The inner planets begin to form from

metallic and rocky clumps. (D)• The larger outer planets began forming

from fragments with a high percentage of ices

• Today (E)

Flattening and spinning. Gravity, shock waves, condensing, “dust bunny” analogy.

The Formation of the Early Earth

Figure 12.5

Early Evolution of EarthFormation of Earth’s Layered Structure

o As Earth formed, the decay of radioactive elements and heat from high-velocity impacts caused the temperature to increase.

o Iron and nickel began to melt and sink toward the center

o Lighter rocky components floated outward, toward the surface

o Gaseous material escaped from Earth’s interior to produce the primitive atmosphere

Cores discovered by tracking seismic

waves traveling through the Earth.

Earth’s “Spheres”Geosphere

Hydrosphere CryosphereAtmosphere

BiosphereLithosphere

Asthenosphere Pedosphere

Earth’s “Spheres”Geosphere

the solid matter of the

Earth, as distinct from

the seas, plants,

animals, and surrounding atmosphere

Geosphere

Geosphere

Earth’s “Spheres”Hydrosphere

The ocean is the most prominent feature of the hydrosphere, as it covers

nearly 71% of Earth’s surface and contains about

97% of Earth’s water The hydrosphere also

includes fresh water found in streams, lakes, and

glaciers, as well as that found underground.

Hydrosphere

Earth’s “Spheres”Cryosphere

This is the frozen part of the Earth's surface, including the polar ice caps,

continental ice sheets, glaciers, sea

ice, and permafrost.

The cryosphere is very important to our

understanding of climate change.

Cryosphere

CryosphereCryosphere

Earth’s “Spheres”Atmosphere One-half of the

atmosphere lies below 3.5 miles (18, 500

feet.)Our atmosphere shields us from

harmful solar rays.

Our atmosphere is the thin, tenuous blanket of air that surrounds Earth.

AtmosphereAtmosphere

Earth’s “Spheres”BiosphereEarth’s Biosphere

includes all life, and is

concentrated near the surface in a

zone that extends from the ocean floor upward for

several kilometers into the

atmosphere.

Biosphere

Earth’s “Spheres”Lithosphere The lithosphere is

the rigid outer layer of solid Earth that can be broken.

It includes the crust and the uppermost

mantle, which constitute the hard

and rigid outer layer of the Earth.

Lithosphere

Earth’s “Spheres”Asthenosphere

The asthenosphere is

the weaker, hotter, and deeper part of the upper

mantle.

AsthenosphereAsthenosphere

Earth’s “Spheres”Pedosphere

The pedosphere is the uppermost part of the

lithosphere that chemically reacts to the atmosphere,

hydrosphere and biosphere through the soil forming

process.

Pedosphere

Pedosphere

The Birth of a Planet Earth’s Spheres

Worksheet

To research this worksheet, download the PowerPoint notes for Monday, 11/5.

VideoApollo 13

Highlands