Chapter 1
Introduction to Earth Science
1.What Is Earth Science?
2.A View of Earth
3.Representing Earth’s
Surface
4.Earth System Science
5.What Is Scientific Inquiry?

1. Observing: What features can you identify in the photo?
2. Inferring: Where do you think this photograph came from?
3. Designing Experiments If you were an Earth scientist, how
could you use this photograph in your work?

Section 1 What Is Earth
Science?
 Key Concepts
1. What is the study of Earth
science?
2. How did Earth and the
solar system form?

Earth science
the name for all the sciences
that collectively seek to
understand Earth; It includes
_______, ____________,
__________, and _________.

Geology
the science that
examines ____, its form
and ____________, and
the changes it has
undergone and is
undergoing

Physical geology:
The examination of the materials
that make up Earth and the possible
explanations for the many processes
that shape our planet.
What are some of the processes which can
shape our planet?

Historical geology
To establish a timeline
of the vast number of
physical and biological
changes that have
occurred in the past.

Oceanography
•The scientific study of the ______
and oceanic phenomena.
• Oceanography integrates the sciences of
chemistry, physics, geology, and biology.
Oceanographers study the composition
and movements of seawater, as well as
coastal processes, seafloor topography,
and marine life.

_______________
•the scientific study of the
atmosphere and atmospheric
phenomena; the study of
weather and climate.

_______________
the scientific study of the
universe; It includes the
observation and
interpretation of celestial
bodies and phenomena.

Formation of Earth
The nebular hypothesis suggests
that the bodies of our solar
system evolved from an
enormous rotating cloud called
the solar nebula. It was made up
mostly of hydrogen and helium
with a small percentage of
heavier elements.
 Why does Earth have little hydrogen and helium but
large amounts of heavier elements?

Layers Form on Earth
Why does Earth have
layers?
Where did the oceans and
atmosphere come from?

Earth’s Place in the Universe

Section 2
A View of Earth
 Key Concepts
 What are the four major
spheres into which Earth
is divided?

Section 2
A View of Earth
 Key Concepts
 What defines the three
main parts of the solid
Earth?
 Which model explains the
position of continents and
the occurrence of
volcanoes and
earthquakes?

Earth’s Major Spheres
 __________: the water
portion of Earth; one of
the traditional
subdivisions of Earth’s
physical environment

Earth’s Major Spheres
 _________: the gaseous
portion of a planet; the
planet’s envelope of air;
one of the traditional
subdivisions of Earth’s
physical environment

Earth’s Major Spheres
 ___________: layer of
Earth under both the
atmosphere and the
oceans; It is composed
of the core, the mantle,
and the crust.

 Because the
geosphere is not
uniform, it is divided
into three main parts
based on differences
in composition—the
____, the _____, and
the ______.

Geosphere
 ______: the innermost
layer of Earth, located
beneath the mantle; The
core is divided into an
outer core and an inner
core.

Geosphere
 _________: the 2890-
kilometer-thick layer of
Earth located below the
crust
 ______: the thin, rocky
outer layer of Earth

Earth’s Major Spheres
 __________: all life on
Earth; the parts of the
solid Earth,
hydrosphere, and
atmosphere in which
living organisms can be
found.

Plate Tectonics
 the theory that proposes
that Earth’s outer shell
consists of individual
plates that interact in
various ways and thereby
produce earthquakes,
volcanoes, mountains, and
the crust itself.

Section 3
Representing Earth’s Surface
 Key Concepts
 What lines on a globe
are used to indicate
location?

Section 3
Representing Earth’s Surface
 Key Concepts
 What problems do
mapmakers face when
making maps?
 How do topographic maps
differ from other maps?

Determining Location
 Global Grid
 ______: the distance
north or south of the
equator, measured in
degrees.

Determining Location
 Global Grid
 ________: the distance
east or west of the
prime meridian,
measured in degrees.

Global Grid

Global Grid

Maps and Mapping
 The Mercator Projection

Maps and Mapping
 Robinson Projection Map
 Conic Projection Map
 Gnomonic Projection
Map

Different Projection Maps for
Different Purposes

Topographic Maps
 _________________:
a map that represents
Earth’s surface in three
dimensions; It shows
elevation, distance,
directions, and slope
angles.

Contour Lines
 ________ _________: line
on a topographic map that
indicates an elevation; Every
point along a contour line has
the same elevation.
 ________ ________: on a
topographic map, tells the
distance in elevation between
adjacent contour lines

Maps and Mapping
1.3 Representing Earth’s Surface
 No matter what kind of map is made,
some portion of the surface will always
look either too small, too big, or out of
place. Mapmakers have, however, found
ways to limit the distortion of shape, size,
distance and direction.

Topographic Maps
1.3 Representing Earth’s Surface
 Topographic maps represent Earth’s
surface in three dimensions; they show
elevation, distance directions, and slope
angles.
• ________________ __________are lines on
a topographic map that indicate an elevation.
• __________ ____________is the distance in
elevation between adjacent contour lines.

What Is a System?
1.4 Earth System Science
 Closed systems are self contained
(e.g., an automobile cooling system).
 Open systems allow both energy and matter
to flow in and out of the system
(e.g., a river system).
 A __________ is any size group of
interacting parts that form a complex whole.

Earth as a System
1.4 Earth System Science
 Earth is a dynamic body with many
separate but highly interacting parts
or spheres.
 Earth system science studies Earth
as a system that is composed of
numerous parts, or subsystems.

Earth as a System
1.4 Earth System Science
 Sources of Energy
• Sun—drives external processes such as
weather, ocean circulation and erosional
processes
• Earth’s interior—drives internal
processes including volcanoes,
earthquakes and mountain building

Earth as a System
1.4 Earth System Science
 Humans are part of the Earth system.
 Consists of a nearly endless array of
subsystems (e.g., hydrologic cycle)

People and the Environment
1.4 Earth System Science
 Environment
• Surrounds and influences organisms
• Physical environment encompasses water,
air, soil, and rock
• The term environmental is usually reserved for
those aspects that focus on the relationships
between people and the natural environment.

People and the Environment
1.4 Earth System Science
 Resources
• Include water, soil, minerals, and energy
• Two broad categories
2. Nonrenewable—cannot be replenished in
the near future (e.g., metals, fuels)
1. Renewable—can be replenished (e.g.,
plants, energy from water and wind)

People and the Environment
1.4 Earth System Science
 Population
• Population of the planet is growing rapidly
• Use of minerals/energy has climbed more
rapidly than the overall growth of population

Growth of World Population

Environmental Problems
1.4 Earth System Science
 Caused by people and societies
• Urban air pollution
• Acid rain
 Caused by natural hazards
• Landslides
• Ozone depletion
• Global warming
• Earthquakes
 Local, regional, and global

Science
1.5 What Is Scientific Inquiry?
 Science assumes the natural world is
• consistent
• predictable
 Goals of science are
• to use the knowledge to predict
• to discover patterns in nature

Hypothesis and Theory
1.5 What Is Scientific Inquiry?
 An idea can become a
• ____________:tentative or untested explanation
• ________:tested, confirmed, supported hypothesis
 Scientific Method
• Formulate hypotheses
• Gather facts through observation
• Test hypotheses to formulate theories

Science Methods
1.5 What Is Scientific Inquiry?
 Scientific knowledge is gained through
• following systematic steps
2. Collecting facts
• theories that withstand examination
• totally unexpected occurrences
3. Developing a hypothesis
4. Conducting experiments
5. Reexamining the hypothesis and accepting,
modifying, or rejecting it
1. Identify the problem