Earth Spheres Flashcards
What is the biosphere?
The layer of the earth where life exists.
What is the biosphere made up of and how do aspects interact?
Plants, animals, and bacteria. Land, air and water interact with each other to support life.
what part of the biosphere hosts the most life?
Almost all life extends between 500m below and 6km above sea level.
What is the atmosphere?
The atmosphere is a layer of gases that extends from Earth to space.
Where does all the gases in the atmosphere exist?
99% of the gases in the atmosphere is found within 80km of the Earth’s surface, then the air starts to thin out until into the relative emptiness of space.
What is the benefits of the atmosphere?
The atmosphere provides warmth, controls weather, carries sound and protects the Earth against dangers from space.
What is the atmosphere essential for?
The gases are essential for life in the water and on the land.
What is the lithosphere?
The lithosphere is the outermost rocky layer of the Earth and is composed of the crust and upper mantle.
What is the crust made of and how?
The rocky crust that makes up the lithosphere is made from magma (molten rock), which cools slowly. The heat from the magma escapes into the air and water surrounding it.
Two parts of lithosphere layer
Continental and Oceanic crust
What do these plates float on and how do they move?
These plates float on semi-liquid magma at the top of the mantle and move about 2-10cm per year, due to the movement of convection currents
What is the Hydrosphere?
The Hydrosphere is the sum of all water found on Earth.
What forms of water
This includes saltwater, freshwater, frozen water, groundwater and water vapour.
What percent of the earth’s surface is water?
The hydrosphere covers approximately 70% of the Earth’s surface
What are the frozen parts of the hydrosphere called?
The hydrosphere’s frozen parts are called the cryosphere
