Earth's Spheres
Name two of Earth's spheres
hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, biosphere
What is it called where most volcanoes occur?
Pacific Ring of Fire
Where is most of Earth's water?
The oceans
What is weathering?
The breaking down and breaking apart of Earth's materials
What force of nature is the major cause of a landslide?
water
Name an example of the hydrosphere and the atmosphere interacting
rain, snow, hail, sleet
Where volcanoes happen this natural disaster also happens: tornadoes, hurricanes, or earthquakes?
earthquakes
Where is most of Earth's most drinkable water?
Rivers and streams
What is erosion?
After Earth's materials have been broken down, erosion is the carrying away of the broken down materials.
The tree roots hold the ground in place so that when it rains, the soil cannot be washed away.
What systems are interacting when there is a landslide?
geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere
What happens to the tectonic plates when an earthquake happens?
The plates separate, move against each other, or slam into each other
How much of Earth's water is freshwater?
3 percent
What are two forces of nature that can cause weathering?
water, wind, animals, temperature
Name two possible solutions to keep a landslide from happening
Plant trees, put up netting to hold rocks in place, don't cut down trees that hold soil in place, undercutting, put up a fake rock wall to hold the ground in place.
When a miner is mining for gold or coal, what two spheres are interacting?
biosphere and geosphere
What causes a volcano?
The tectonic plates open up allowing hot lava that has built up to explode up through the plates.
How much of Earth's water is salt water?
97 percent
What are two forces of nature that can cause a crack in a sidewalk?
Water gets into a small crack, freezes, expands, and then cracks the sidewalk.
A plant or tree grows underneath the sidewalk, forcing it's way up through the sidewalk.
Name two damages that landslides can cause
destroy houses, destroy roads, kill animals, kill humans
What spheres are interacting when there is a tornado?
atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere
What are tectonic plates?
Large pieces of earth that have broken apart
Where is most of Earth's freshwater, but is not drinkable?
Glaciers and icecaps
What is the most powerful weathering force on Earth?
Water
What can humans do so that there house doesn't get buried by a landslide?
Don't build where there are landslides, plant trees, put house on stilts