sci midterms

• Geology - the study of the earth’s rocky parts found on the crust (lithosphere) and its historical evolution.
• Physical Geography - deals with the study of the physical features of the Earth’s surface.
• Geophysics - This field studies the shape of the Earth, its reaction to different forces as well as its magnetic and gravitational fields.
• Soil Sciences - cover the Earth’s outermost layer which is the crust. 

  • edaphology 
  • pedology
• 1. Oceanography/Hydrology - This field of science studies the marine and freshwater domains of the hydrosphere. 

  • hydrogeology and physical
  • chemical
  • biological oceanography
• Glaciology - studies the ice and icy parts of the Earth known as the cryosphere, and its effects to the environment.
• Atmospheric Sciences - the study of the gaseous parts of the Earth, known as the atmosphere. 

  • meteorology
  • climatology
  • atmospheric 
  • chemistry
  • atmospheric physics
• Crust 

  • Outermost layer of the Earth
  • 8-40 km in depth
• Conrad Discontinuity 

  • Discontinuity between upper & lower crust
  • Victor Conrad
• Mantle

  • Depth of 2,900 km 
  • Thickest layer of the Earth
  • It is made up of very hot and dense rocks which flow due to great differences in temperature moving from the bottom to the top of the mantle, called convection currents.
• Repetti Discontinuity 

  Discontinuity between upper & lower mantle
• Mohorovičić Discontinuity (Moho)

  • Discontinuity between lower crust & upper mantle
  • Andrija Mohorovičić, a Croatian seismologist
• Gutenburg Discontinuity 

  Discontinuity between lower crust & outer core
• Outer Core

  • Liquid state
  • 2,250 km nickel and iron
• Lehmann Discontinuity 

  Discontinuity between outer & inner core
• Inner Core

  • Solid state
  • 1,300 km
• Convection Current - deepest part of the mantle

  • very hot material that rises and cools, then sinks and then heats again making a cycle
  • The convection current acts like a conveyor belt in a factory which moves boxes. The mantle is divided into 2 sections: the upper and lower mantle, separated by the transition zone (a discontinuity between the 2 mantles).
• The Creation Theory - is biblical in origin asserting that everything in the universe, including humans were created by a supreme being in a span of 7 days
• The Big Bang Theory - speaks of the Earth's formation in a scientific perspective. It states that the universe was formed sometime between 10 and 20 billion years ago from a cataclysmic explosion.
• Lithosphere

  • rocky crust of the earth
  • inorganic and is composed mainly of different kinds of minerals.
• Hydrosphere

  • all the waters in the Earth
  • includes the oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, and even the moisture in the air.
• Biosphere

  • all living organisms, from the smallest bacteria to the largest whale
  • plants, animals, and single-celled organisms are all part of the this.
• Atmosphere

  • mass of air surrounding our planet
  • it is subdivided into different layers of different densities
  • The air of Earth is 79% Nitrogen and fewer than 21% Oxygen. The remaining amount is shared by Carbon Dioxide and other forms of gasses.
• Avogadros number = 6.02 * 10^23 mol^-1
• 2×10^30 kg.  = solar mass
• Resource - stock or supply of anything that can be drawn on by anyone to function effectively.
• Mineral - a solid, inorganic substance of natural occurrence.
• Rock - a conglomerate of various minerals formed on Earth's Surface.
• Naturally Occurring - minerals are made, and exist, naturally
• Ore - naturally-occurring solid where valuable metals and/or minerals are extracted for profit.
• Inorganic - minerals aren't made from living organisms
• Solid - minerals exist in neither liquid nor gas forms
• Definite chemical composition - minerals are defined by their chemical composition, which must be expressed by their chemical formula in specific ratios.
• Ordered internal structure - minerals must have regular, repetitive geometric patterns or crystal structures
• Luster - property of a mineral to reflect light; describes how brilliant or dull it is
• Penetrability - Optical property of minerals to allow light to pass through
• Color - an optical perception described through certain color categories (such as red, blue, etc.); considered to be unreliable due to impurities affecting color quality
• Streak - a mineral's color in powdered form, achieved by rubbing the mineral across an un-weathered surface, such as an unglazed porcelain; however, minerals with higher hardness cannot leave streak marks on the porcelain