Characteristics of the Earth that are necessary
to support life - Also called as “geoscience”
➢ TEMPERATURE
- It influences how quickly atoms,
molecules or organisms move.
- Low temperature = slows down
chemical reaction and produces ice
that makes liquid water unavailable.
- High temperatures = cause
breakdown of important biological
molecules.
➢ ATMOSPHERE
- Atmosphere provides chemicals
needed for life, such as nitrogen
and carbon dioxide.
➢ WATER
- It is one of the important ingredients
in the different biological processes.
- The CRYOSPHERE is the frozen
water part of the Earth system.
➢ ENERGY
- Earth has available energy- rich
sunlight to support life. Living
organisms like plants and
photosynthetic bacteria use light as
the source of their energy. Some
chemosynthetic organisms rely on
chemical energy to support various
biological processes.
➢ NUTRIENTS
- It is an essential factor used to build
and maintain organism’s body
structure.
EARTH AND ITS SUBSYSTEMS
Earth
- 3rd planet in Solar System
- 4.56 billion yrs old
- 365-366 days to revolve around sun
- Harbor life
Earth Science
- Study of Earth’s characteristics
and behavior
Closed system - something get what it wants but
neither it returns it back.
Cycles
- Major themes of Earth’s Subsystems
- Material in the earth system was
continuously recycled.
EARTH’S SUBSYSTEMS
a. Atmosphere
b. Hydrosphere
c. Geosphere
d. Biosphere
a. ATMOSPHERE
- Earth’s blanket
- compositions :
Nitrogen - 78%
Oxygen - 20.95%
Argon - 0.93%
Other gases - 0.04%
Layers of the Atmosphere
1. Troposphere - where we live
2. Stratosphere - ozone layer
3. Mesosphere - meteors burn
4. Thermosphere - satellites
Atmospheric Circulation
- Redistributing the heat from the sun to the
surface of the Earth.
b. HYDROSPHERE
- Liquid component of the Earth (glacial
waters)
- 70% of Earth’s surface
- 98% is salt water
- Helps atmosphere to become its current
state
Hydrological Cycle (Water Cycle)
- Continuous movement of the water
- Involves transfer of energy
- Sun = driving agent of this cycle
Process of Water Cycle
 ● Evaporation ➔ MOHOROVIC DISCONTINUITY (MOHO)
- First major step - Boundary of crust and mantle
- Molecular change of water from - Andrija Mohorovicic 1909
liquid to gas - P waves (first but slowly)
- S waves (last but faster)
● Transpiration ➔ MANTLE
- Happening in plants - Called “sima”
● Condensation - Biggest part of the Earth
- Reverse process of the evaporation - 2,900 km thick
- Evaporated water vapor cooled ➔ OUTER CORE
down to its dew point - Fluid (magma like) part of the core
- Clouds are formed - Creates magnetic field
● Precipitation ➔ INNER CORE
- Water released from the condensed - Deepest part and made up of
clouds iron-nickel alloy
- Delivery of the atmospheric water - Solid due to the pressure created
to the Earth by the total weight of 3 layers.
Rain
- Liquid water droplets c. BIOSPHERE
Snow - Important and largest subsystem of Earth
- Solid type of precipitation - Eduard Suess 1875
- Ice crystals
Hail
- small irregular lumps
- thunderstorms
● Infiltration MINERALS
- Absorbed by the soil to the rocks Minerals
and replenishes the groundwater - A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic
system solid that has a crystal structure and a
definite chemical composition.
c. GEOSPHERE
- Solid state of Earth CHARACTERISTICS OF MINERALS
- Structure, composition, minerals, and
processes of Earth 1. Formed by natural processes on or inside
Earth- no help from humans.
Litosphere - composed of the solid, outermost 2. Is inorganic- was never alive. For
part of the planet example, although coal was formed
naturally in earth’s crust it came from
Tectonic Plates - rocky parts of litosphere; 1-16 plants and is therefore, not a mineral
cm per year 3. Is solid, with definite volume and shape.
Liquids cannot be minerals!
Layers of Earth 4. Minerals always contains certain elements
➔ CRUST that give it a unique chemical
- Outermost and thinnest composition (makeup). Some minerals
- Life exist are compounds which are made up of
- 1% Earth’s volume more than one element.
- Oceanic (oceanic bases) 5. Have a crystalline shape- the particles of
- Continental (beneath continents) a mineral line up in a pattern that repeats
forming a crystal.
The Structure of Minerals
Moh’s Hardness Scale
Crystal - solid with atoms arranged in an orderly,
repeating pattern. 1 Talc

2 Gypsum
How do minerals form?
There are 2 ways that crystals form: 3 Calcite

4 Flourite
The cooling of hot, liquid rock called
magma causes compounds to combine 5 Apatite
Magma cools slowly= crystals are large
Magma cools quickly= crystals are small 6 Orthoclase

7 Quartz
The evaporation of water that has minerals
dissolved in it 8 Topaz

Identifying Minerals
★ Color
- Can be
isleading
m
- Many minerals will have a similar
appearance, but will have different
impurities
- Color and appearance are not
enough to distinguish minerals
★ Luster
- Luster refers to the way a mineral
reflects light from its surface
Note:
Metallic = shiny like metal
Non-metallic = dull,
non-shiny surface,
can include pearly,
silky, and glassy
- We can also use toher terms such
as waxy, pearly, glassy, dull, and
silky
★ Streak
- The c olor of the powdered form of
the mineral
- We find a minerals streak by
rubbing it on a white ceramic plate
- The color of the streak can be
different than the mineral
- Minerals must be softer than the
streak plate
★ Hardness
- How easily a mineral scratches
materials
Scale from 1 (softest) to 10
(hardest)
9 Corundum
10 Diamond
★ Cleavage & Fracture
- The way the mineral breaks
Cleavage — minerals break along smooth, flat
surfaces and every fragment has the same
general shape.
Fracture — minerals that break at random with
rough or jagged edges.
SPECIAL PROPERTIES
★ Fluorescent
- Calcite and fluorite glow under
ultraviolet rays.
★ Chemical Reactions
- Calcite will effervesce, or “fizz”
when a drop of weak acid is placed
on it.
★ Optical Properties
- A thin, clear, piece of calcite placed
over an image will cause double
image.
★ Radioactivity
- Minerals that contain radium or
uranium can be detected by a
Geiger counter.
★ Magnetism
- Magnetite and pyrrhotite are both
natural magnets that attracts ion
★ Taste
- Halite has a salty taste
Classification of Rocks
Igneous rocks (magmatic rocks) - formed through
cooling and solidification of magma or lava. Igneous
rocks can be classified into:
1.Intrusive igneous rocks - formed from
solidification of magma below the surface.
2.Extrusive igneous rocks - formed from a faster
rate of solidification of lava on the surface.
3.Sedimentary rocks - deposition and cementation
of mineral or organic particles on bodies of waters.
Clastic sedimentary rock - formed from
mechanical weathering.
Chemical sedimentary rock - formed when
dissolved materials precipitate from the solution.
4.Organic sedimentary rocks - formed from the
build-up of plant or animal debris.
5.Metamorphic rocks - forms from existing rock
types, called “parent rock” in the process called
metamorphism.
Foliated metamorphic rock - formed through
pressure due to compression of rocks that create
bands called foliation.
Non-foliated metamorphic rock - No foliation or
bands.
Ore Minerals
Ore - a natural rock or sediment, containing one or
more valuable mineral.
Two methods of mining:
1.Surface mining - Used to extract ore minerals
near the surface of the earth. Blasting is a method
used to remove rocks and soils that covers the ores.
Example of surface mining are:
Open-pit mining - Common type. Blasting with
explosives and drilling. Used to mine, gravel, sand,
and even rock.
Strip mining - Involves removal of a thin strip of
overburden (earth or soil), above a
desired deposit. Used to mine coal, phosphates,
clay, and tar mining. Dredging - Mining materials
from the bottom of bodies of water.
2.Underground mining - Used to extract rocks,
minerals, and other precious stories that can be
found beneath the Earth’s surface. Miners creates
tunnel so that they can reach the ore minerals.
Processing Minerals:
1.Sampling - Removal of a portion to represent the
whole for the analysis.
Water Resources
2.Analysis - Evaluate the valuable component in an Ocean
ore. Lake
3.Comminution - Valuable components of the ore River
are separated through crushing and
grinding.
4.Concentration - Separation of the valuable minerals
from the raw materials.
5.Dewatering - Uses the concentration to convert it to
usable minerals. This involves
filtration and sedimentation.
Fossil Fuel
3 Types of Fossil Fuel Formation:
1.Coal - An important and primary fossil fuel present on
Earth. Coal resources are found where forest trees
existed.
Anthracite - Highest rank. Hard and brittle. Referred to
as “hard coal”.
Bituminous coal - Has a high heating value, and is the
most common type of coal used in electricity generation.
Subbituminous coal - Black, and dull. Has a high heating
value compared to lignite. Lignite - “Brown coal”. Has the
lowest grade of coal, and has a low concentration of
carbon.
2.Oil - An organic material, mostly algae, which was
buried in mud at the bottom of the sea. Formed millions
of years ago. Used to produce transportation fuel, and
petroleum-based products.
3.Natural gas - Hydrocarbon gas with the mixture of
methane. Earth’s cleanest
fossil fuel and is odorless and colorless in its natural
state. Produced from sedimentary rock
formation under high pressure.
How are Fossil Fuels formed?
Remains of animals in plants are buried beneath the
Earth’s surface. These are covered with mud. Sediments
was buried by more sediments, and started changing
into rock as temperature and pressure increases. These
slowly changed into crude oil and natural gas.
Water
-For irrigation, cooking, washing, cleaning, drinking
Earth is 71% water
Water availability is defined as the quantity of water
that can be used for human purposes without
significant harm to ecosystems or other users.
Water scarcity occurs when the amount of water
withdrawn from lakes, rivers or groundwater is so great
that water supplies are no longer adequate to satisfy all
human or ecosystem requirements, resulting in
increased competition between water users and other
demands.
Human Activities affects Water REMARKABLE WAYS TO PROTECT/CONSERVE
-The Quality of Water SOIL
-Availability of Water 1.Forest protection - Trees, plants, vegetation in the
forest are important in the creation of new soil.
Physical 2.Buffer strips - Strips of permanent vegetation to reduce
-Temperature, color, taste odor, and turbidity. water and wind erosion.
The temperature of water affects some of the
important physical properties and characteristics of 3.No - till farming - Allows crops to remain in place for a
water. season.
Color is primarily a concern of water quality for
aesthetic reasons. 4.Fewer concrete surface - Concrete surfaces makes it
difficult for water to get to the soil.
Taste and odor are human perceptions of water 5.Plant windbreak areas - Row of shrubs, bush, trees
quality. Human perception of taste includes sour are planted to protect soil from wind erosion.
(hydrochloric acid), salty (sodium chloride), sweet
(sucrose), and bitter (caffeine). 6.Terrace plating - Protect soil from erosion, and to
maximize rain water to flow naturally.
turbidity is a measure of the light-transmitting 7.Plating trees - To prevent soil erosion.
properties of water and
is comprised of suspended and colloidal material. 8.Crop rotation - To conserve soil. Planting different crop
in the same soil sequentially.
Chemical
 total solids and suspended solids 9.Water the soil - Nourishes and protects soil. Moist soil
 chloride content is not in danger of erosion due to wind activity.
 ph value 10.Maintain the pH - 6 to 7 promotes the readiest
 hardness of water availability of plant nutrients.
 metal and other chemical substances in water
 dissolved gases 11.Indigenous crops - Native crop options that enhances
the soil.
Human activities that affects the quality/quantity
of the soil 12.Afforestation - Areas under the planted trees are
Soil degradation - Physical, chemical, biological protected by planting foliage.
decline in the soil quality; loss of nutrients, organic
nutrients, salinization, acidification, pollution, 13.Monitor grazing - Critical role in conserving the soil.
compaction, and subsidence. Monitor areas where cows and any other animals
grazes.
FARMING 14.Dams - These structures works to prevent soil
Traditional source of income in our country. Done erosion, since flooding of rivers has been a cause of
by planting crops or raising live stock. many soil erosion.
Positive effects of farming - Application of herbicide. 15.Fertilizers - Use of organic fertilizers improves the
To kill unwanted plants have positive effect on soil quality of soil, since they are composed of
health. biodegradable materials to make better nutrient
Negative effect of farming - Tillage in farming. resources.
Preparation of soil for planting, and the cultivation 16.No soil compacting - A protection method, where
of soil after planting. soils are not compacted or pressed together.

CONSTRUCTION OF STRUCTURE 17.Control storm water - Rainwater can be re-used to

water gardens and yards.
Construction activities, such as grading and filling
reduces soil quantity on construction sites. Land
use conversion can cause rapid soil degradation 18.Monitor growth - Check the salient composition and
and sedimentation. fertility. Done through regular monitoring of soil and
WASTE DISPOSAL overall plant growth.
Soil quality is adversely affected by improper waste
disposal. Ways to preserve/conserve soil
Soil pollution happens when hazardous chemicals 1.Tree planting
from humans and industrial sewage are carelessly
disposed of, altering soil’s natural health and 2.terraces building
quality. 3.No-till farming
4.Contour plowing - This practice of farming on Waste generated due to fishery activities. Ex. Fishbones
slopes considers the slope gradient and the and scales.
elevation of soil along the slope. Radioactive waste
5.Crop rotation
6.Maintaining soil pH Waste containing radioactive materials. Commonly by-
products of nuclear processes.
7.Water the soil
8.Salinity management - Salinity of soil increases E - waste
due to excessive accumulation of salts in the soil. Electronic waste from modern establishments. Ex. Not
working cellphones, Defected computers, etc.
9.Promote helpful soil organism - Earthworms, Biomedical waste
through aeration of soil, enhances the availability of Solid or liquid waste from research activities of medical
macronutrients. science.

10.Grow Indigenous crops WASTE DISPOSAL PRACTICES

1.Landfill
Kinds of wastes 2.Dump
SOLID WASTE
Waste in solid forms, like domestic, commercial, 3.Compost - pit
and industrial waste, such as: plastic, styrofoam,
paper, and etc. 4.Material Recovery Facility (MRF)

LIQUID WASTE 3 Rs OF WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste in liquid forms, such as chemicals, oils, and 1.Reduce - Avoid disposable and packaged goods.
waste water from ponds and manufacturing 2.Reuse - Reuse products for the same purpose. Ex.
industries. plastic bottles.

GASEOUS WASTE 3.Recycle - Used materials are remanufactured and sold

Waste in gaseous form which usually originates as a new product.
from chopping and dissolution operations. Ex.
Volatile radionuclides

CLASSIFICATION OF WASTE
Biodegradable - can be degraded. Ex. Banana peel

Non-biodegradable - cannot be degraded. Ex.

Plastics
Hazardous - Substances unsafe to use. Have the ff.
properties: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity and
toxicity.
Non-hazardous - Substances safe to use. These
usually creates disposal problems.

WASTE ACCORDING TO ORIGIN

Municipal solid waste
Solid waste that includes: household garbage,
rubbish, construction and demolition debris, and
other waste manage by municipality.
Industrial waste
Liquid or solid waste that are generated by
manufacturing and processing units of various
industries. Ex. Chemical, coal, gas.

Agricultural waste

Waste generated from farming activities. Mostly

biodegradable.
Fishery waste