THE EARTH AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER SCIENCES

EARTH SCIENCES

Earth sciences or geosciences are the disciplines of natural sciences that study the
structure, morphology, evolution and dynamics of planet Earth. They constitute a
particular case of planetary sciences, which dealt with the study of the planets of the
Solar System.

HISTORY
Earth sciences are constantly evolving. Pliny the Elder’s geography only described the
elements of the Earth’s Surface without linking them through processes, and little
importance was given to the dynamics of change and interaction with the elements that
make up the environment.
CHARACTERISTIC
• As their object of study is huge on the human scale, they are limited to
observations made on its surface (or close to it) and currently
• As the object of study (the Earth) is not manipulable and obtaining direct data is
limited.
• The Earth Sciences constitute a tool to plan a rational exploitation of natural
resources, to understand the causes that originate the natural phenomena that
affect the human being and how the human being influences nature with his
actions.
DISCIPLINES
• Geophysics Paleontology
• Geology Oceanography
• Geomorphology Soil sciences
• Geography Climatology
Hydrology Meteorology
LITHOSPHERE
The lithosphere is the most solid and superficial layer of the planet Earth, that is, the
most rigid and external of all. It is made up of the earth's crust and the upper layer of
the earth's mantle and is the coldest surface on the planet, on which all living things
live.
EARTH CRUST
It is the outermost solid region of the globe, in which living beings inhabit.
CONTINENTAL CRUST
It is composed mainly of granite-like rock with abundant aluminum, oxygen, and silicon.
Being less dense than oceanic crust, continental crust floats more freely on top of the
mantle than oceanic crust, allowing the continents to remain surfaced longer.
OCEANIC CRUST
Oceanic crust is the earth's crust that covers the ocean floor. It is mainly composed of
basalt, a type of rock made up of silicon, oxygen and magnesium.

TECTONIC PLATES
It maintains that the lithosphere is made up of tectonic plates, which are pieces of rock
that slide over the asthenosphere. These plates are constantly moving and can move
closer to or further apart.

DIVERGENT LIMITS
The tectonic plates separate and magma emerges from the interior of the Earth, which
produces the formation of volcanoes.
TRANSFORMING LIMITS
The tectonic plates slide laterally without destruction of the lithosphere. These
movements generate earthquakes or faults.

CONVERGENT LIMITS
Most of the world's largest mountains are formed when plates collide with convergent
boundaries. The continental crust is too buoyant to sink under the mantle. So when the
plates collide, the crust crumples up. This creates the mountains. Folds and faults in
these collision zones make the crust thicker.