Biosphere
What does the biosphere include?
It includes all living organisms on Earth, including plants, animals, and microorganisms.
What is the hydrosphere?
The hydrosphere includes all water on Earth, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and groundwater.
What is the atmosphere?
The atmosphere is the layer of gases surrounding Earth.
What is the geosphere?
The geosphere includes all the solid land on Earth, including rocks and soil.
What is the outermost layer of Earth called?
The crust.
What is the rock cycle?
The rock cycle is the continuous process by which rocks are formed, broken down, and reformed.
Name one way humans impact the biosphere.
Deforestation, pollution, and urbanization are examples of human impact.
What is the largest component of the hydrosphere?
Oceans are the largest component.
Name one gas found in the atmosphere.
Oxygen, nitrogen, or carbon dioxide.
Name the three main types of rocks.
Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.
What is the mantle?
The mantle is the thick layer of rock between the crust and the core.
How do igneous rocks form?
Igneous rocks form from cooled and solidified magma or lava.
What role do plants play in the biosphere?
Plants produce oxygen and provide food for animals.
How does water cycle through the hydrosphere?
Water evaporates, condenses into clouds, and falls as precipitation.
How does the atmosphere protect life on Earth?
The atmosphere filters harmful solar radiation and regulates temperature.
What is erosion?
Erosion is the process by which soil and rock are removed from one location and transported to another.
Describe the outer core.
The outer core is liquid and made of iron and nickel.
What process turns sediment into sedimentary rock?
Compaction and cementation.
How do animals contribute to the biosphere?
Animals help pollinate plants and disperse seeds.
What is groundwater?
Groundwater is water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The greenhouse effect is the trapping of heat in the atmosphere by certain gases.
How do tectonic plates affect the geosphere?
Tectonic plates can cause earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain formation.
What is the inner core?
The inner core is solid and extremely hot, also made of iron and nickel.
How do metamorphic rocks form?
Metamorphic rocks form from existing rocks that change due to heat and pressure.
What is the importance of biodiversity in the biosphere?
Biodiversity helps ecosystems function and provides resources for survival.
How does the hydrosphere affect weather patterns?
Water vapor in the atmosphere can influence temperature and precipitation.
What are the different layers of the atmosphere?
Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.
Explain what soil is made of.
Soil is made of minerals, organic matter, water, and air.
How do the layers of Earth affect geological activity?
The movement of tectonic plates in the mantle can cause earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Describe the relationship between the three types of rocks in the rock cycle.
Each rock type can transform into another type through processes like melting, cooling, erosion, and pressure.