The Four Subsystems of Earth

• Encompasses the solid non-living components of earth, it includes the earth's crust mantle and core


  Geosphere
• Provides the foundation for all other subsystems and it is constantly changing due to processes like plate tectonics and volcanic activity


  Geosphere
• Comprises all the water on earth including oceans lake rivers ice caps and groundwater


  Hydrosphere
• Driven by wind and temperature differences

  Ocean currents
• Gaseous layer that surrounds the earth. It is composed mainly of nitrogen and oxygen place a vital role in regulating temperature, filtering harmful radiation, and supporting life


  Atmosphere
• Located in the stratosphere, protects life

  Ozone layer
• Encompasses all living organisms on earth includes all plants animals fungi and microorganisms


  Biosphere
• Demonstrating the interdependence of life on earth

  Food webs
• Are essential for maintaining the planets balance and supporting life


  Interactions and interdependence
• Energy flows from the sun

  H
• Plant capture solar energy through this converting it into chemical energy

  Photosynthesis
• Processes that amplify or dampen and changes

  Feedback loops
• Amplify changes

  Positive feedback loops
• Dampen the changes

  Negative feedback loops
• Ability to withstand disturbances and return to a stable state

  Resilience
• Ability to adjust

  Adaptation
• The solid earth is the rigid outer layer of earth consisting of the crust and the uppermostat part of the mantle


  Lithosphere
• Oceanic crust - thin, dense and primarily composed of basalt, found beneath oceans
• Continental Crust - thick, less dense, composed of granite, forms the continents
• Outermost layer of the earth composed of various types of rock and is the thinnest layer compared to the mantle and core


  Crust
• Thickest layer composed of hot dense rock that low slowly

  Mantle
• Upper mantle - solid but behaves like a viscous liquid
• Lower mantle - solid
• Asthenosphere - partially molten zone
• The innermost layer composed of iron and nickel and is extremely hot


  Core
• Outer core - liquid, magnetic field
• Inner core - solid
• Sudden shifts

  Earthquake
• Openings in Earth's crust

  Volcanoes
• Building blocks of rocks


  Minerals
• Aggregates of minerals

  Rocks
• From cooked magma or lava

  Igneous rock
• From sediments


  Sedimentary rock
• Breakdown of rocks

  Weathering
• Transportation of weather materials

  Erosion
• System of chronological dating that divides earth's history into ions eras periods and epoch based on the fossil record and geologic events


  The geologic time scale
• Evidence of past life

  Fossil record
• Major changes

  Geologic events
• Large scale ecosystems

  Biomes
• Encompasses all living organisms and their non living surroundings

  Ecosystem