CHAPTER 6: LITHOSPHERE & HYDROSPHERE

LITHOSPHERE HYDROSPHEREMINERALS INLAND WATERSROCKSOCEANSSOIL CRYSOPHEREPERMAFROST ENERGY RESOURCESENERGY RESOURCES POLLUTION & DEGRADATIONPOLLUTION & DEGRADATION

THE LITHOSPHERE

A hard shell of the Earth, consisting of the crust and the topmost part of the Upper Mantle.

Contains minerals and rocks that are essential to the development of human civilization. It is the source of building materials, metals, and precious stones.

On average, only 100 km thick (Earth’s radius = 6300 km)

THE LITHHOSPHERE - MINERALS Solid inorganic substances with clearly

defined composition and properties 4000 minerals are known to exist on Earth Classification:Geologists classify minerals according to 4 distinct properties – 1) colour (idiochromatic & allochromatic)2) transparency (transparent, translucent, & opaque)3) hardness ( 1 to 10)4) streak (powder it leaves behind when rubbed)

THE LITHOSPHERE - MINING

Geologists who wish to mine for minerals must:

1) Locate2) Extract (mine the ore)3) Separate

Quebec mines:Gold, Copper, Zinc, Nickel, & Iron

THE LITHOSPHERE - ROCKS Rocks are heterogeneous solids composed of

many minerals. Rocks don’t have clearly defined Physical or

Chemical properties. TYPES OF ROCKS:Igneous – formed when magma cools and solidifiesSedimentary – formed by the accumulation and compaction of debrisMetamorphic – former igneous or sedimentary rocks that have been transformed by heat or pressure

THE LITHOSPHERE - ROCKS USES OF ROCKS:

ROCK TYPE USESGRANITE INTRUSIVE IGNEOUS Ornamental stoneDIORITE INTRUSIVE IGNEOUS Ornamental stonePUMICE EXTRUSIVE IGNEOUS Building materials,

cosmetic industryBASALT EXTRUSIVE IGNEOUS Insulation, floor tiles,

road construction SANDSTONE SEDIMENTARY Building materialsLIMESTONE SEDIMENTARY Cement, building

materialsGNEISS METAMORPHIC Building materialsMARBLE METAMORPHIC Interior design,

decorative objects

THE LITHOSPHERE - SOIL Soil comes from PARENT ROCK Over time, frost, wind, and rain wear

down the rock on the surface of the Lithosphere. This disintegration leads to the formation of lithosol (a soil consisting mainly of large rock fragments). This mixes with organic matter from decomposing plant and animal residue. The mixture sets off a series of complex physical and chemical reactions that eventually produces SOIL.

THE LITHOSPHERE - SOIL Soil Horizons are differentiated layers

running roughly parallel to the surface of the ground

SOIL HORIZONS:1) Organic Matter2) Topsoil3) Subsoil4) Fragmented Parent Rock5) Unaltered Parent Rock (page 192)

THE LITHOSPHERE - SOIL Organic matter – layer containing mostly

HUMUS (decomposing plant and animal residue)

Topsoil – a mixture of HUMUS and WATER-SOLUABLE MIINERALS (supports plant life)

Subsoil – composed of small particles (deep roots draw nutrients)

Fragmented PARENT ROCK – disintegration of the underlying parent rock

Unaltered PARENT ROCK – this layer is the starting point for soil formation

THE LITHOSPHERE - SOIL

Three conditions must be met for soil to be fertile enough to support plant life:

1) sufficient amount of minerals (water – soluble nutrients

2) adequate moisture3) proper soil pH (balanced)

THE LITHOSPHERE - PERMAFROST Permafrost is ground whose

temperature has been 0°C or lower for atleast two years.

Found in polar regions and high altitudes

Active Layer – can thaw and grow plant life with a brief growing season (until refreezing)

Makes agriculture impossible and construction difficult

A rise of just a few degrees can soften the ground

THE LITHOSPHERE – ENERGY RESOURCES Energy resources:

Fossil Fuels – Oil, Natural Gas, Coal

- forms liquids and gases from marine organisms that died and were buried in sand and silt

- forms solids from terrestrial plants and trees that once grew in swamps 1 - Fossil Fuels result from the

transformation of organic residue

THE LITHOSPHERE – ENERGY RESOURCES 2 - Uranium – radioactive element

that occurs naturally in the Earth’s crust

3 - Nuclear Energy – the energy stored in the bonds between he particles in the nucleus of an atom.

4 - Geothermics – the energy that comes from the internal heat of the Earth

THE LITHOSPHERE – POLLUTION & DEGRADATION The energy of tomorrow?

Must be RENEWABLE Must be AFFORDABLEMust be CLEAN

Pollutants – Soil DepletionContamination

THE HYDROSPHERE

The Hydrosphere is the Earth’s outer layer of water, uniting water in all three states:

- liquid- solid- gas

97% salt water (Oceans & Seas) 3% fresh water (21% groundwater,

rivers, lakes, etc – 79% glaciers)

THE HYDROSPHERE – INLAND WATERS Inland Water – all the freshwater

bodies found on the continent, uniting rivers, lakes, and groundwater.

Watershed – an area of land whose lakes and rivers all empty into the same larger body of water. (Quebec has 3 – Hudson Bay, Ungava Bay, St. Lawrence River)

THE HYDROSPHERE – INLAND WATERS

What effects water flow within Watersheds?

1) Topography – shape, slope, and terrain of the area2) Geology – type, depth, and structure of the rock3) Climate – rain or snowfall, winds, and temperature4) Vegetation – density and diversity5) Development – Agricultural, Industrial, or Urban

THE HYDROSPHERE - OCEANS Oceans – Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and

Southern Ocean waters are moved by currents that

carry them all over the world. Two important parameters in the study of oceans:

* temperature and salinity Closer to coast line lie smaller and shallower

seas Temperatures range from 4°C at the bottom

of the ocean to 26°C at the surface near the equator

THE HYDROSPHERE - OCEANS

FACTORS affecting temperature:Depth – influences temperature because sunlight rarely reaches 200m in depth causing a rapid drop in temperature.The Seasons – Water loses heat more slowly than land so the change is less pronouncedLatitude – Surface temperatures reach 25°C or 26°C at the equator and between 12°C and 17°C in temperate zones

THE HYDROSPHERE - OCEANS

SALINITY – a measure of the amount of salt dissolved in a liquid (Oceans 3.4% -3.7%)

Salt does not EVAPORATE and therefore become concentrated in the oceans

Near the poles, melting ice ( adds Fresh Water) dilutes the salt content 3%

Near heat and drought areas (Water evaporates more quickly) increase Salt percentage 4%

THE HYDROSPHERE - OCEANS

CIRCULATION – the water in the ocean is in constant motion. Waves and tides on the surface and ocean currents in its depths.

OCEAN CURRENT – the movement of seawater in a certain direction

OCEAN CIRCULATION – the combined effect of all currents that move across the oceans

THE HYDROSPHERE - OCEANS SURFACE CURRENTSDriven by the wind mostly to a depth of 400m

SUBSURFACE CURRENTSDriven by deep currents to a depth of 800m and density of water (colder = less buoyant = sink)

THERMOHALINE CIRCULATIONSurface and subsurface (Hot & Cold) form a huge “Conveyer Belt” to move water all around the world and to transfer heat and regulate all of Earth’s climate

THE HYDROSPHERE - OCEANS

THE HYDROSPHERE - CRYOSPHERE

CRYOSPHERE – consists of all the frozen water on Earth’s surface

PACK ICE – composed of the ice floating on the oceans near the North & south pole

Approx. 12 million square kilometers 200814 million square kilometers 200516 million square kilometers 1979 GLACIERS – a mass of ice on land, formed

by compressed snow

THE HYDROSPHERE – ENERGY RESOURCES HYDRAULIC ENERGY – the energy that

can be derived from moving water WATERFALLS AND RIVERSHYDROELECTRIC DAMS – converts a river’s hydraulic energy into electrical power

WAVES AND OCEAN CURRENTS TURBINES – Buoys in the ocean that converts an ocean’s current or waves into electrical power

THE HYDROSPHERE – POLLUTION & DEGRADATION

HUMAN ACTIVITIESDomestic, Industrial, Agricultural, or Navigational CHEMICALSFactory discharge, Atmospheric Contaminants LIVING ORGANISMSFertilizers, Pesticides, Phosphorus, Mercury THREATS AT SEAAccidental spills, Dumping, HydroCarbons