Earth
Earth
Khawar
University of the Punjab, Lahore
Earth
• Roughly 4.6 billion years
old
• Third planet orbiting
around the sun
• Only planet in our solar
system to have surface
liquid water
• Home to the only known
life in the universe
EARTH SYSTEM
• Dynamic, evolving and complex planet (4.6 billion years).
• Made up of 3 parts
• Atmosphere (air)
• Hydrosphere (water)
• Lithosphere (rock
and sediments)
Atmosphere
• The gases that envelope
and surround the Earth
make up our atmosphere
• Protects us from UV rays
• Balances the global
temperature on the Earth
• Made up of various gases
(Nitrogen, oxygen, water
vapour, Carbon dioxide,
Ozone, etc...)
Atmosphere (O2, CO2, H2O, O3)
• Interaction among various air masses.
• Gases envelope.
• Earliest atmosphere: hydrogen and helium.
• Magnetosphere.
• Atmosphere began accumulating by volcanism: emit
carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur,
hydrogen, chlorine, and nitrogen [Archaen].
• Photochemical dissociation and photosynthesis.
• Arrangement of continents affects solar heating and
cooling, and thus winds and weather systems. Rapid
plate spreading and hot-spot activity may release
volcanic carbon dioxide and affect global climate.
Layers of the atmosphere
Troposphere : contains 80% of all air
meteorites
Destroyed by CFCs
(chloroflurocarbons)
and aerosol products.
Hydrosphere
Hydrosphere
• Water on or near Earth’s surface (oceans (97%), rivers,
lakes, and glaciers of the world.
• A mineral is a pure,
natural and inorganic
substance
Formation of rocks