THE EARTH

THE EARTH
1.Introduction

The Earth, also known as World or Gaia is the third planet planet from the sun, the densest of the solar system and the only planet known to accomodate life.

 Characteristics:

• The Earth rotates: The Earth turns on its axis from West to East. One rotation (with the sun as reference) lasts 24 hours (a day or solar day).

• The Earth revolves:The Earth spins on an orbit around the sun. This movement takes 365 days and 6 hours.

LEAP YEAR: If we collect these 6 hours during 4 years, we will get 24 hours (one day), that is why every 4 year we have 366 days.

PARALLELS AND MERIDIANS:

To know where a place is we use Geography Coordinates. Those imaginary linesare called parallels and meridians.

LONGITUDE AND LATITUDE:

Longitude: It is the measure of the parallels.

Latitude: It is the measure of the meridians.

HOW CAN WE BE CLOSER TO SPACE?

We can use a telescope to see the things in the space better.If we have a look in the telescope we will see stars can be red, blue, yellow and white.

 The scientists send big telescopes, observational satellites that spin around the world or space probes that go to visit the planets.

People and animals have also travel to space to try to get more information about it. Fruit flies, monkeys, dogs ( Tsygan, Dezik and Laika ) are some examples af animals that have been sent to space. Yuri Gagarin was the first man in going to space the 12 of April of 1961 and Neil Amstrong was the first man that landed on the moon, the 20 of July of 1969.

 

2. Atmosphere

The Atmosphere is the layer of gas that sorrounds the Earth. It begins 100 km from the Earth. It protects the life on Earth. It absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the sun and acts as a protector against meteorits. It is made up of: Nitrogen, Oxigen and Carbon Dioxide (and more gases).

LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE:

ELEMENTS OF THE WEATHER:

Those elements interact amongst themselves in the troposphere:

• Temperature: how hot or cold the atmosphere is. How many degrees it is above or bellow freezing.
• Humidity: the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere.
• Wind: the movement of the air masses.
• Precipitations: it is the product of rapid condensation process.
• Cloudiness: the amount of clouds in the atmosphere.

CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATIONS:

What are clouds?

A cloud is a visible mass of liquid droplets or frozen crystals made of water or various chemicals suspended in the atmosphere.

 Terrestial cloud formation is the result of air in any of the 3 principal layers of the Earth becoming saturated due to either or both of 2 process:

• Cooling of the Earth.
• Adding water vapor.

What are precipitations?

When clouds get very saturated they get bigger until they precipitate in form of rain, hail...

• If the cloud is very cold: It rains.
• If the air is very cold: the rain turns into snow.

The water cycle

3. Hydrosphere

It is the system constituted by the water out and under the ground. It includes: oceans, rivers, lakes, seas, ice, snow and underground water.

a. Oceans: Oceans are the largest body of water on Earth. Oceans cover the 71% of  Earth´s surface. There are:

•  3 big oceans: The Pacific (the biggest), the Atlantic and the Indian.
• 2 samll oceans: The Antartic and the Artic.

Oceans are very deep. The averageth depth of the oceans is 3900 meters.

The deepest part of the oceand is found in Marianas, Ditch that is 11034 meters (in the Pacific ocean).

The water of the oceans is salty water.

b. Seas: Water on seas is called salty water because it contains a lot of slat. The seas are closer to the continents.

On the surface of the continents there is water in  rivers, streams and lakes. This water is called fresh water because it contains a little of salt. People, animals and plants drink fresh water.


c. Lakes: Lakes are huge areas of water surronded by land. The water of the lakes is called still water. Small lakes are called lagoon or pond.

d. Rivers: A river is a large, flowing body of water. Rivers begin in high areas such as mountains. Rivers always flow downhill. They flow into other rivers or into the sea.

The journey/course of a river:

The course of a river has 3 parts:

The upper course:
It is near the source. The river is narrow and flows through mountains. It has little of water and flows very fast.

The middle course:
It flows through plains (the flat area on each side of a river). It has more water and flows more slowly.

The lower course:

It is where the river meets the sea. This part of the river is wide and the water flows very slowly.

VOCABULARY:

 Tributary: It is a river that flows into a larger river.

River Bed: It is the ground over which a river flows.

Flow: If is the amount of water in a river.

Source: It is where a river begins.

Mouth: It is where a river ends.

Course: It is the journey from the source to the mouth. 

Meanders: When a river in the middle course twists or bends.

Reservoirs: Man-made lakes 

Canal: Man-made rivers.

Dam: A wall which is built to hold back water.

e. Groundwater: It is fresh water found beneath the surface of the Earth. When it rains water goes through the soil and collects in empty spaces between rocks and sand. here it forms large deposits called aquifers. People build wells to collect this water. Groundwater can also form under ground rivers in caves.

4. Lithosphere

It is the outer layer of the Earth and it is made up of the Crust, part of the mantle and the tectonic plates. Here we also find the continents: Africa, North and South America, Asia, Europe, Antartica and Oceania.

WHAT ARE ROCKS??

Rocks and minerals are naturally acurring solids made up of minerals.Rocks made up the solid part of the Earth. Rocks have been used by humans for million years ago from early tools and weapons to various construction materials.

There are 3 principal types of rocks based on the way they are formed.:

a.  Igneous

b. Sedimentary

c. Metamorphic

Igneous Rocks

•When magna cools and solidifies forms igneous rocks. The upper section of the Earth´s Crust is made up of around 95% igneous rocks.

• There are over 700 different types of igneous rocks; Some of the examples are:

•1. Basalt

 2. Granite

 3. Pumice

4. Tuff;            

5. Gabbro

6. Andesite

http://pithandvigor.com/diy-projects/materials/igneous-rock-gallery-basalt-garden-fountians/

Sedimentary Rocks

•Sedimentary rocks are formed by sediments (minerals, small pieces of plants and organic matter) that are deposited over time usually as layers at the bottom of lakes and oceans.  The layers that they formed are called strata which can often be seen in exposed cliffs. Some examples:

•1. Limestone,

 2. sandstone

3.  mudstone, 

4. chalk,  

5. greywacke

,6. coal, 

7. claystone 

 8. flint.

http://www.americandrivingvacations.com/trips/classiccanyonlands/classiccanyonlands09.html

Metamorphic Rocks

Metamorphic rocks have been changed over time by extreme preasure and heat. They can be formed by pressure deep under the Earth´s surface from the extreme heat cause by magna or by intense collision and friction of tectonic plates. Uplift and erosion help bring metamorphic rocks to Earth´s surface.

Some examples are:

1. Anthracite

2. Quartzite

3. Marble

4. Slate

5. Granulite

6. Gneiss

7. Schist

https://www.flickr.com/photos/eriagn/15351520297/

WHAT ARE MINERALS??

Minerals are substances that rocks are made of. If we look carefully at a piece of rock we could see small grains of colors. Sometimes there is only one colour and sometimes there are different colours. These are the different minerals in the rock.

Some rocks are made up of only one, Ex: Marble: It is made up of calcite. Other rocks are made up of more than one minerl, ex: granite: It is made up of quartz, feldespar and mica.

THE PROPERTIES OF MINERALS:

• Some minerals are very hard: diamond.
• Other mineral are very soft: chalk.
• Some minerals are recognised by the colour: Freen copper ore.
• Other can have different colours: Beryl (it can be blue,green, yellow...).
• Some minerals are shimy and metallic: pyrit.
• Other minerals are not shiny at all.
• Many minerals have a geometric or crystal-like-shape; aragonite.

ACTIVITY:

NOW THINK ABOUT WHAT MINERALS AND ROCKS ARE USED FOR. (WRITE A LIST IN THE NOTEBOOK)

CLIMATES

Differences between weather and climate:

The weather: It is the state of the atmosphere at any moment. The weather changes because it depends on the atmosphere. When the atmosphere conditions change, the weather becomes windy,stormy, rainy, sunny, snowy, foggy....

The climate: The general conditions of the atmosphere in a specific area over a perios of time.

The climate zones of the planet:

Characteristics of spanish climates:

There are 5:

OCEANIC CLIMATE: It is characterized by:

• Light temeratures.
• Great amount of precipitations.
• Winters are very cold.
• Summers are cold too.

MOUNTAIN CLIMATE: It is characterized by:

• Long and cold winters.
• Temperatures under 0º.
• Cold and shorts summers.
• Scarce precipitations ( in form of rain in spring and snow in winter).

CONTINENTAL CLIMATE: It is characterized by:

• Great difference between temperatures un summer and winter.
• Hot and warm summers.
• Cold winters.
• Scarce precipitations.

MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE: It is characterized by:

• Warm and rainy winters.
• Dry and hot summers.
• Autumns and springs are changeable.
• Temperatures keep above 0º.

ARID CLIMATE: It is characterized by:

• The average tempertature during the year is 18º.
• It is very dry.
• Hot summers.
• Rain is caused by the cold drop associated with extrmly violent downpours and storms.