... A system is any portion of the universe that can be isolated for the purpose of observing & measuring changes A system must have a boundary that sets it apart from its surroundings 3 basic types of systems 1. Isolated system * Boundary prevents the system from exchanging BOTH matter & energy with its surroundings. * Both matter and energy within the system are fixed & finite because none can enter and none can leave the system. * Imaginary – impossible for any real boundary to be so perfectly insulated that energy can neither enter or escape. 2. Closed system * Boundary permits the exchange of energy, but not matter within its surroundings * Matter within the system is finite but energy is exchangeable in and out of the system 3. Open system * Boundary permits exchange of both energy and matter * Ie. Island. * Open systems are more difficult to study because they have more potential for uncontrolled variation Box model * A model is a representation of something. * A box model can show the essential features of a system. i. The process by which matter enters & leaves the system and the rates at which they do so ii. The process which matter moves among the various parts of the system internally & the rates at which this happens iii. The amount of matter (or energy) in the system at a given time and its distribution within the system * The amount of matter (or energy) that...
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...margins. The first one is divergent margin, also called rifting or spreading centers. This occurs where two plates are moving apart. They can occur either in continental or oceanic crust. When a plate is being stretched or torn apart, this creates a rift valley. A new ocean may form in the widening rift. A good example of this is when the Red Sea formed. Where oceanic crust is splitting apart, the result is a midocean ridge. (Physical Geology, 2005). The earthquakes that happen at midocean ridges are shallow and indicate that plates are moving apart. The plates move apart at a divergent margin, the high pressure is released, allowing the mantle rock to melt. The lava flows up into the slowly widening crack. Some of the lava flows out onto the sea floor to cool, and the rest is added to the plate edge to slowly cool. The second type of plate margin is convergent margins. This occurs when two plates move toward each other. This leads to different types of margins, depending on whether the boundary is between two oceanic plates, two continental plates, or one of each. When one continent meets another continent along a convergent margin, they crumple upwards and downwards as the lithosphere thickens, in a collision zone. Another kind of convergent margin occurs when one or both plates are oceanic. In this case, one plate will typically slide beneath the other plate, plunging into the asthenosphere, where water released from the wet rocks of the seafloor promotes formation...
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...processes. Astronomy is the study of the universe Lecture note 2. Earth in the Universe According to the Big Bang theory, the universe began about 13.7 billion years ago, when everything in the universe was squeezed into a very small volume, as described above. There was an enormous explosion—a big bang—which caused the universe to start expanding rapidly. All the matter and energy in the universe—and even space itself—came out of this explosion. some stars are actually grouped closely together in space. These small groups of stars are called star systems and larger groups of hundreds or thousands of stars are called star clusters. The biggest groups of stars are called galaxies. Galaxies are divided into three types according to shape: spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies, and irregular galaxies spiral galaxies : young stars- formed from dust and be blue elliptical galaxies: old stars, reddish to yellowish Most irregular galaxies were once spiral or elliptical galaxies that were then deformed either by gravitational attraction to a larger galaxy or by a collision with another galaxy. Our solar system, including the Sun, Earth, and all the other planets, is within one of the spiral...
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...among natural systems, geographic areas, society, and cultural activities and the interdependence of all of these over space. 2. What is physical geography? Physical geography is the spatial analysis of all the physical elements and process systems that make up the environment: energy, air, water, weather, climate, landforms, soils, animals, plants, microorganisms, and Earth itself. 3. What are the inner core, outer core, mantle, asthenosphere, lithosphere, oceanic crust, and continental crust? o Inner core: solid iron well above the melting temperature of iron at the surface, but remains solid b/c tremendous pressure (combination of silicon, oxygen, sulfur) o Outer core: molten, metallic iron (fluid) with lighter densities than the inner core o Mantle: 80% of earth’s total volume, rich in oxides of iron and magnesium and silicates (FeO, MgO, and SiO2), • Lower mantle: denser, contain a mixture of iron, magnesium, and silicates, with some calcium and aluminum. • Upper mantle: a high-velocity zone just below the crust where seismic waves transmit through a rigid, cooler layer, divides into three fairly distinct layers: i. Upper mantle ii. Asthenosphere iii. Uppermost mantle o Asthenosphere: (plastic layer) contains pockets of increased heat from radioactive decay and is susceptible to slow convective currents in these hotter, less dense materials. o Lithosphere: approximately 45-70 km thick, and was made up of uppermost mantle and crust o Oceanic crust (denser):...
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...how continental movement could have taken place. More evidence for plates giving and taking is palaeomagnetism which is the study of the Earth's magnetic field in rocks. Sea floor spreading was discovered at the North Atlantic Ridge where alternating polarity of rock can be seen which forms the ocean crust. Iron particles in lava erupted on the ocean floor are aligned with the earths magnetic field. As the lava solidifies, these particles provide a permanent record of the earth’s polarity at the time of the eruption. The result is a series of magnetic stripes with rocks aligned alternatively towards the North and South Pole. The striped pattern is mirrored exactly on either side of a mid oceanic ridge. This suggests that ocean crust is slowly spreading away from this boundary. The oceanic crust gets older...
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...Oceanic Bank Gambia Limited, a subsidiary of its parent company in Nigeria has began winding up its operations in The Gambia, following its failure to meet the Central Bank of the Gambia [CBG] minimum capital requirement of D150 million. The move came after the CBG issued a press release Monday stating that "13 of the 14 banks operating in The Gambia have met the minimum requirement as at the deadline of December 31st 2010". This reporter visited the Oceanic Bank Head Office on Kairaba Avenue Tuesday morning, where he saw a long queue of anxious customers waiting to withdraw their monies. Staff of the bank, who are now in a complete dilemma as a result of this unexpected development, were trying their best to attend to the customers. However, it was observed that customers were getting their monies without much difficulty. In a chat with this reporter, the head of Corporate Communications of the defunct bank, Thomas Kojo Quayson, explained that the move to "go for a voluntary liquidation" has nothing much to do with the Oceanic Bank Gambia Limited, but the Oceanic Bank International in Nigeria that had a universal license, but has now decided to opt for a national banking license, hence could not operate subsidiaries. He said: "Last year, there was a directive issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria that all banks in Nigeria should choose to either be a regional bank, a national bank or to be an international bank. Oceanic Bank before under the Universal Banking License had subsidiaries...
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...environments on earth unable to support life? What can be done about these predictions of climates in the future? How will these climate changes affect South-West Western Australia? How does climate change work? Climate change is a natural process that has been functioning on earth for billions of years, it is the regulator of the earth's abililty to support life by the cycles of The Greenhouse Effect. The Greenhouse Effect has made the earth an environment for supporting life through the cycling of energy from the sun via short-wave radiation, which heats the earths surface, then is released into the atmopshere as long-wave radiation. This cycle is made possible by the prescence of Greenhouse gases, which redside in the earths atmopshere, and absorb most of the long-wave radiation given off by the earth, with the remainder being expelled into space. This process cycles the heat from the sun around the earths atmosphere and a climate is the result, without this circulation of energy life cannot exist. Greenhouse gasses absorb long-wave solar radiation, enabling the Greenhouse Effect. The main gasses are Water Vapour H2O (clouds), Carbon Dioxide CO2, Methane CH4 and Nitrous Oxide, with water vapour being the most abundant. The concentrations of these gasses in the atmosphere have a direct influence over the climate, and through natural increases and...
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...(GEOL 1114) 1. Explain the Uniformitarianism. The birth of Modern Geology, the physical, chemical and biological laws that operate today have also operated in the geologic past 2. What are the spheres of the Earth system? Atmosphere, Geosphere, Biosphere, and Hydrosphere 3. What are the mechanical and compositional layers of the Earth’s interior? Compositional: Crust, Mantle, Core. Mechanical: Lithosphere & Athsenosphere 4. Know the prominent features of the continents and the ocean floor? 5. Define tectonic plate and which layers of the Earth’s interior they contain. Earths outer layer divided into several plates, composed of the lithosphere which is made up of the crust and uppermost mantle 6. What are plate boundaries? Know the different types of plate boundaries and processes at each boundary. Plate boundaries are the zones of interaction between individual plates. There are three types: Convergent/Compression (Destructive margins), Divergent/Tension (Constructive Margins), and Transform/Shear (Conservative margins) 7. What is the difference between continental volcanic arcs and island arcs? Both form at convergent plate boundaries, but continental volcanic arcs for at Oceanic-Continental boundaries while island arcs form at Oceanic-Oceanic boundaries. 8. What are hot spots and mantle plumes? Hot spot: A concentration of heat in the mantle, capable of producing magma that, in turn, extrudes onto earths surface. Mantle plumes: A mass of hotter-than-typical...
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...WEAKNESSES OF THE BIG BANG THEORY According to Marmet (2005) , the big bang theory believes that the universe originated from an extremely dense concentration of material. The original expansion of this material is called the big bang theory. Moskowits (2010) describes the big bang theory as an assertion that the universe began extremely hot and dense. Around 14 billion years ago, space itself expanded and cooled down eventually allowing atoms to form and clump together to build the stars and galaxies we see today. Taylor (2012) says According to the Big Bang theory, all matter and all space was originally part of an infinitesimally small point called the Singularity. The theory says nothing about where that singularity came from. It is assumed to have come about by a random quantum event. The theory was first proposed in the 1930s, based on Edwin Hubble's discovery that distant galaxies are receding. Hubble measured the distances to a large number of galaxies which was based on the observed brightness of certain stars within them, he went on to collate these distances with their electromagnetic spectra. As it turned out, more distant galaxies had the features in their spectral lines shifted to lower frequencies in a linear manner: that is, more distant galaxies exhibit greater redshifts. The only known mechanism for generating a spectral shift is the Doppler effect, which means that distant galaxies are receding from us. Another dominant idea connects the dots between the...
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...Study Guide: Final Exam Concentrate your studies in the following areas. Questions for the Final Exam will come principally from this material. Lutgens and Tarbuck Textbook: Earthquakes and Structures (Chapter 6) * Know the definition of an earthquake (pg. 190). --ground shaking caused by the sudden and rapid movement of one block of rock slipping past another along fractures in Earth’s crust called faults * Know the difference between the focus and epicenter of an earthquake. Which is located at the source of the earthquake? Which is located on the surface of the earth directly above the source? --Focus=Earthquakes tend to occur along preexisting faults where internal stresses have caused the crustal rocks to rupture or break into two or more units. The location where slippage begins is called the hypocenter, or focus. --Epicenter=The point on Earth’s surface directly above the hypocenter * Understand the concept of elastic rebound. What is it? How are earthquakes produced via elastic rebound? * --Elastic rebound=At some point, the stress along the fault overcomes the frictional resistance, and slip initiates. Slippage allows the deformed ( bent) rock to “ snap back” to its original, stress- free, shape; a series of earthquake waves radiate as it slides. Reid termed the “ spring-ing back” elastic rebound because the rock behaves elastically, much like a stretched rubber band does when it is released. * Know the three basic types of seismic waves...
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...Questions Module 2 Questions Module 1 Questions Module 1 Essay Questions Question Why small particles weather faster than large ones: Why is silica the major component of magma?: Why clay doesn't weather Which type of magma is primarily associated with high viscosities? Which type of basaltic lava flow has its surface covered with sharp-edged, angular blocks and rubble? Which type of basaltic lava flow has a fairly smooth, unfragmented, ropy surface? Which the following denotes the positively charged particles in an atom's nucleus? Which sedimentary rock listed below has a biochemical origin? Which sedimentary rock consists of materials that originated and were transported as solid particles? Which rock type is associated with a high-energy environment (such as a very turbulent stream)? Which property is most directly related to the closeness of atoms in a mineral? Which pair of minerals is most common in detrital sedimentary rocks? Which one of the following statements...
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...crust and the mantle that we find tectonic plates. The outermost layers of the earth are divided into two categories based on their physical properties. The asthenosphere is the lower of these categories, composed of clastic or flowing mantle. The upper layer is known as the lithosphere and contains both the top, rigid layer of the mantle and the crust. The lithosphere is what makes up the tectonic plates. The composition of these plates is based on their location. Plates under the surface of the ocean are made of mostly of basalt, while continental plates are comprised of rocks such as andesite and granite. It is generally believed that there are 12 plates that make up the earth's surface. The majority of these plates are a combination of oceanic and continental...
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...even employees of the Hawaii Department of Transportation to follow specific principles that would protect the environment, keep them and the public safe, all the while still providing its services as a safe and effective state-wide transportation system. This policy statement was signed by the director...
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...well as smaller amounts of methane, water vapor and sulfur oxide all acts as a heating agent for the Earth surface, captivating warmth and warming it. (Hansen, 2016). Greenhouse gases and additional air contaminants accumulate in the stratosphere and captivate the suns energy and solar emission that have reflected off the earth’s ground level ozone (Weller, 2016). Generally, these emission would have been released into outer space, but then again these gases, which remain in the atmosphere for possibility centuries, meanwhile trapping heat and causing the planet to get warmer as decades come to past (Hansen, 2016). Of the numerous heat-trapping gases, carbon dioxide places us at the jeopardy of irreparable modifications if it continues to gather persistently in the atmosphere provided that the global economy remains in need of fossil fuels for its energy needs (Hansen, 2016). Consequently, sea levels are expanding, glaciers are melting, cloud forests are desiccating, and nature is scrambling to keep pace of the environmental change (Hansen, 2016). Scientist have discover that mankind have caused the warming of the earth in the previous decades past due to the releasing of heat-trapping emission as we produce energy for today’s way of living. These heating agents are currently changing the normal cycle of climate change that all living creatures and plant life must be dependent on. The carbon dioxide we emit in the atmosphere currently will accurately regulate not only our climate...
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...Monitoring Our Home Planet Michael Davis Argosy University Abstract This paper is being submitted in details the effect that natural disaster has on the planet Earth. Analyzing the impact of potential natural disasters on: geography, resources, politics, economics, and disaster preparedness and how to monitor the future natural disasters. Monitoring Our Home Planet Natural Disaster has a major impact on the inhabitants that live on the planet Earth. A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth; examples include floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other geologic processes ( Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_disaster). That impact in an isolated area can causes the inhabitants of this planet to come together and help provide resources to help the recovery process. That is just a small effect that a natural disaster has on the inhabitants of Earth. There are natural disasters that have warning signs before the will occur. Then there are natural disasters that will occur with no warning signs. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis are just three natural disasters that will strike will no warning. The prevention of natural disaster is impossible since we really don’t know when one might occur. Potential disasters can be 'managed' to minimize loss of life. Remote sensing like satellites are the most accurate in monitoring potential natural disasters. Satellites offer...
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