Regolith - Loose particles of rocks that enveloped the
surface of Earth
Module 1
CHARACTERISTICS OF EARTH NECESSARY TO
SUPPORT LIFE
1 Temperature - Influences the speed of movement by
every atom.
2. Water - Necessary for different biological processes.
Examples are precipitation and consumption.
3. Atmosphere - Provides insulation and protection
from the harmful sunrays, greenhouse gases, and
impact of small to medium meteorites.
4. Energy - Main source of energy for every biotic and
abiotic factors is the sun.
5. Nutrients - Essential factor for the growth and
improvement of the body structure.
Module 2
Earth’s Subsystem
Earth is a complex system of unrelated growing biotic
factors and abiotic factors that interrelates physical,
chemical and biological processes.
Atmosphere - It serves as the blanket of earth from
the UV-B, greenhouse gases, and small to medium
meteorites. The word originated from Greek words
atmos which means gas and sphaira which means
globe or ball.
Composition:
 78% nitrogen
 21% oxygen
 0.9% argon
 0.1% different gases
Geosphere - Serves as the solid and rocky part of the
Earth which is divided to three layers such as the,
crust, mantle and core.
Composition:
Rocks - natural aggregate of minerals, organic
material or natural glass
Hydrosphere - Composed of all the water bodies in
the Earth, it includes the water vapor and ice. The
solid frozen part is named cryosphere. The water on
Earth plays a huge role on absorption and
redistribution of solar radiation.
Biosphere - The layer of Earth where life or living
organisms are active. It could extend to the sky and to
the bottom of ocean where marine organism could
live. The word biosphere originated from a Greek
word bios that means life.
Terminologies:
Sphere interactions - The process of matter and
energy flow moves from another sphere to another.
Biogeochemical Cycles - The cycle which involves the
biological, geogical and chemical changes caused by
biotic and abiotic factors.
Module 3
Physical and chemical properties of minerals
1. Crystal Habit - Refers to the overall shape and
growth of material.
Classifications:
Equant - Three dimensions are equal, an example is
cube
Elongate - forms of prismatic crystals
Platy - flattened and thin crystal
2. Luster - Refers to the apperance of the mineral
when t reflects light.
Classification:
Metallic Luster - Opaque and very reflective
Nonmetallic Luster - Dull, silky, greasy and pearly
3. Cleavage and Fracture - Cleavage refers to the
tendency of the mineral to break from any smooth
surfaces. Fractures are lines in a mineral that could
cause it to break.
4. Hardness - Refers to the measure of resistance of a Module 4
mineral from a scratch.
Classification of Rocks
Moh’s Scale of Hardness
Igneous or magmatic rocks are form by cooling of lava.
1. Talc
Classifications:
2. Gypsum
Intrusive igneous rocks - Refers to the rocks formed
2.5 Fingernail through solidification under the surface that undergo
the slow process of crystallization
3. Calcite
Extrusive igneous rocks - Refers to the rocks formed
3.5 Copper Penny
through solidification on the surface of Earth that
4 Fluorite appears to be glassy due to less crystallization.

5. Apatite Sedumentary rocks are formed by the deposition and

cementation of minerals under the bodies of water.
6. Orthoclase Feldspar
Classifications:
7. Quartz
Clastic sedimentary rocks - Refers to the rocks formed
8. Topaz
from mechanical weathering of debris.
9. Corundum (ruby)
Chemical sedimentary rocks - Refers to the rocks
10. Diamond formed when dissolved materials precipitate from the
solution.
5. Color - The most obvious property of mineral but
not reliable alone. Organic sedimentary rocks - Refers to the build up of
plant or animal debris.
6. Streak - Refers to the color of the mineral in a dust
form Metamorphic rocks forms from the rocks that are
called “parent rocks” which undergoes the process of
Additional Properties:
metamorphism, the change in form.
Magnetism - Attractions to magnet
Classifications:
Striations - Presence of very little and parallel grooves.
Foliated metamorphic rocks - Refers to the rocks
Specific Gravity - Weight of the material divided the formed through pressure from the rocks that creates
weight of equal volume of water. band called foliation.

Taste, odor, Touch - Gives off unique taste, odor and Non-foliated metamorphic rocks - Refers to the rocks
touch. with no foliation or bands.

Chemical Properties

Flammability - Refers to producing fire or heat.

Radioactive - Refers to the build up of toxicity.

Oxidation - Refers to the change of color and build up

because of the presence of air.

Module 5
Important Minerals to the Society
 Fluorite - toothpaste
 Talc - face powder
 Salt - enhancing the food flavor
 Iron, aluminum and chromium - Stainless
kitchen wares
 Silicon, silver and gold - gadgets
 Copper - electrical wiring
 Iron and Carbon - Iron steel
 Limestone, Lime and Chalk - Concrete
 Silica and Quarts - Glasses
 Granite and marbles - Floor
 Aluminum - Door and mirror frames
 Titanium - Medical and dental tools
 Gypsum - Plaster cast
 Iron, chromium and carbon - Alloy like
stainless steel
 Uranium - source of energy
 Lithium, cobalt and nickel - car battery
 Zinc and carbon - Dry cell batteries
 Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium - NPK
Fertilizers
 Calcium - bones
 Magnesium and Zinc - improving immune
system
Module 6
Mineral Ore
Terms:
Mining - The process of extraction of the
natural ore.
Ore - Natural rock that containing one or
more valuable minerals
Two Methods of Mining:
1. Surface Mining - Refers to the mining or
extraction of minerald from shallow surfaces
using the method of blasting, explosives to
break the rocks
Examples:
Open-pit Mining - The most common type of
mining, having a huge hole in the middle of
the ground.
Strip Mining - The removal of thin strip of
overburden and dumping it outside of the
mining system.
Dredging - Mining of materials under the
bodies of water.
2. Underground Mining - Extraction of
materials and minerals under the surface of
Earth by mining through tunnels.
Process of Extraction:
1. Sampling - Extraction of the needed
sample
2. Analysis - Evaluate the component of the
ore
3. Comminution - Separating the parts of the
ore through crushing and grinding
4. Concentration - Separation of valuable
minerals from the raw materials
5. Dewatering - Converting it to usable
minerals by filteration and sedimentation
then drying it out.
 Module 7 Module 8

Formation of Fossil Fuels Energy Sources

Fossil Fuels - Remains of the living organisms Heat/Thermal energy - The most common
that died million of years ago. energy which is the most dynamic,
transferable and convertible to other forms of
How are fossil fuels formed?
energy.
The remains of the dead organisms are
Geothermal Energy - The energy from the
blatantly covered by surface of Earth by the
heat of the core that produces pressure and
time passes which caused it to change to
high temperature. This heat is produced from
crude oil and natural gases after million years
the slow burn of the radioactive content of
of chemical alterations.
the core.
Major Types of Fossil Fuels
Hydropower or Hydroelectricity - Conversion
1. Coal - It is a primary fossil fuel and of the flowing water (mechanical energy) to
important source of energy which is electrical energy by using turbines and
predominantly found on forest trees. converters.

Major Ranks of Coal Three types of Hydropower plants:

1. Anthracite - Highest Ranking - Hard Coal 1. Impoundment Facilities - The most

2. Bituminous Coal - Second Ranking -
Highest Heating Value
3. Subbituminous Coal - Third Ranking - Dull
Colored
4. Lignite - Lowest Grade - Brown coal
common type of hydropower plants which
uses dam as a big water reservoir.
2. Pumped Storage Facilities - The facility uses
water reservoir second only to the size of the
impoundment facilities but used for future
uses.

2. Oil - Organic material, mostly algae, which 3. Rely-on-river facilities - This facility rely
was buried in the bottom of the bodies of more on the natural flow of water from the
water. river and uses only a small portion of the flow
to the turbine.
3. Natural gas - Produced from sedimentary
rocks rocks by forcing chemicals, water and
sand down by pressure.