Transcript Earth Science

Course Introduction
 Earth Science
 Also known as geoscience
 All encompassing term for the sciences
related to the planet earth
 Includes the studies of:
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The Atmosphere (air)
The Hydrosphere (water)
The Biosphere (life)
The Lithosphere (terra firma)
The Cryosphere (ice)
Interesting Numbers
 There are about 400 billion stars in our galaxy (Milky
Way)
 It’s estimated there are about 125 billion galaxies in the
universe
 If we say that, on average, each star has as many
planets orbiting it as our sun (8) then that is about 4
trillion planets
 Out of all of these possible planets, earth is the only
one known to support life
 That is 0.00000000000025% of total planets
Necessities for Life on Earth
 Liquid Water
 Atmosphere
 Gravity
 Magnetic Field
 Proper distance from Sun (Goldilocks Zone)
 Moon
 Weather
Fields of Study
 Geology -> rocky parts of the Earth’s crust
 Physical Geography -> soil, weather, magnetism,
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gravity
Geophysics -> investigate the shape of the earth and
its forces (magnetism, gravity, tectonics)
Oceanography -> marine/freshwater domains
Glaciology -> icy parts of the earth
Atmospheric -> gaseous parts of the earth
Why is Earth Science Important?
 Short Answer
 Because we live here
 Long Answer
 Earth science affects all our lives. Our landscape has been
shaped by natural processes such as tectonics, weathering,
and biological activity over billions of years. We use
natural materials everyday; everything from building stone
and oil to metals such as iron, copper, gold, and even
diamonds. These have all been extracted from the ground.
Natural hazards such as volcanoes and earthquakes can
dramatically affect lives.
 “The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except
with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the
land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future
generations.”
-Pope John Paul II