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A View of Earth. Luc Ikelle. A View of Earth (Apollo 17). Dry lands (deserts ). oceans. Wetter climate. Antarctica: Glacial ice. Ocean and atmosphere. Earth’s spheres (1). The most dynamic portion of Earth Atmosphere Thin gaseous envelope surrounding Earth Hydrosphere
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A View of Earth Luc Ikelle
A View of Earth (Apollo 17) Dry lands (deserts) oceans Wetter climate Antarctica: Glacial ice Ocean and atmosphere
Earth’s spheres (1) The most dynamic portion of Earth • Atmosphere • Thin gaseous envelope surrounding Earth • Hydrosphere • Water dominated by the oceans • Biosphere • All living things on the planet • Lithosphere • Rocky outer shell
Earth’s spheres: the atmosphere (2) Composition is unique in the solar system • Provides Air we breathe and protects from the Sun’s intense heat. • Thin (90% in 16 km) and tenuous • 78% nitrogen • 21% oxygen (not present in early atmosphere) • Minor amounts of carbon dioxide, argon and water vapor
Earth’s spheres: the hydrosphere (3) (blue planet) Total mass of water on or near Earth’s surface • Covers 71% of Earth’s surface • ~98% in oceans • 2% in glaciers, groundwater, lakes and streams (fresh water)
Earth’s spheres: the biosphere (4) All life on Earth • Animals & plants on land, in the sea and air (tree roots, flying insects and birds, …) • There life in ocean floor the pressure is extreme and no light penetrate. • Microorganisms - the most common form of life • Evolved within narrow zone near the Earth’s surface
A view of Earth • Earth’s spheres • Earth’s interior: description • Earth’s interior: evidence • Major features of Earth’s surface
Earth’s internal structure • Solid Earth has a layered structure • Layers defined by composition and physical properties • Compositional layers • crust - mantle - core • Physical layers • lithosphere - asthenosphere - mesosphere - outer core - inner core
Compositional Layers Crust • Outermost compositional layer • Definite change in composition at the base of the crust • 2 types: • Continental crust (up 75 km thick in Himalaya), • Oceanic crust (~ 8 km thick)
Compositional Layers Mantle • Largest layer in the earth • 2900 km thick • 82% by volume • 68% by mass • Composed of silicate rocks with abundant iron and magnesium • Density ranges from 3.2 to 5 g/cc
Compositional Layers Core • Central mass about 7000 km in diameter • Average density of 10.8 g/cc • 16% by volume, 32% of mass • Indirect evidence of composition • Metallic iron
Lithosphere/asthenosphere Lithosphere = crust + uppermost part of the mantle Astenosphere = part of the mantle beneath the lithosphere Continental crust Oceanic crust Lithosphere mantle Asthenosphere Lithosphere The uppermost part of the mantle is strong and solidly attached to crust).
Physical layers:lithosphere • Crust + upper portion of the mantle • Solid & rigid • Thickness ranges from 10 km beneath oceans to 300 km in continental areas
Physical layers:continental crust • Thick - up to 75 km • Lower density - 2.7 g/cm3 • Strongly deformed • Much older - may be billions of years old
Physical layers:oceanic crust • Thinner - about 8 km • More dense - 3.0 g/cm3 • Comparatively undeformed • Much younger < 200 million years old
A view of Earth • Earth’s spheres • Earth’s interior: description • Earth’s interior: evidence • Major features of Earth’s surface
Waves • Elastic waves are generated whenever there is • a sudden deformation • a sudden movement of a portion of the medium
Waves • Examples of man-made seismic sources • Explosion • Weight drop • Drilling • Vibroseis (tractions), ...
Two types of deformations • Volumetric change (P-waves, compressional waves) • Change of shape (S-wave, shear waves) Source: Duan (2010)
P-waves (compressional waves) • P-waves (i) similar to sound waves, (ii) series of contractions and relaxations, (iii) fastest, ~5 km/sec (depends on rock type), (iv) travel through solid, liquid and gas Source: Ikelle and Amundsen (2005); IPS
S-waves (shear waves) • S-waves motion is (i) right angles to direction of wave, (ii) about half the speed of P waves, and (iii) travel only through solids Source: Ikelle and Amundsen (2005); IPS
P-wave S-wave Source: Duan (2010)
2.5 km 1.5 km Horizontal source Source: petroleum-seismology.com
Sea surface (marine/offshore)(Air/water/solid) 2.5 km 1.5 km Source: petroleum-seismology.com
2.5 km 1.5 km Free surface (land/onshore)(Air/solid/solid) Source: petroleum-seismology.com
Exploring Earth’s interior with seismic waves Seismic waves travel at different speeds in different rocks
Seismic waves & ground shaking • Surface waves: propagate near the Earth surface, slower than body waves • L-waves: Love, move back/forth (snake) • R-waves: Rayleigh, move like ripples on a pond Source: Duan (2010)
Recording seismic waves: seismograms • Seismograms: records of ground shaking • Waves arrive in sequence. • P waves first • S waves second • Surface waves last (cause most of the property damage in an earthquake). Source: Duan (2010)
Interior with seismic waves Discovery of Core-Mantle boundary: P-waves do not arrive in the P-wave shadow zone (103° – 143°) Source: Duan (2010)
Interior with Seismic Waves (cont.) • Discovering two parts of the core: liquid outer core & solid inner core • S-waves do not arrive in the S-wave shadow zone • P-wave reflection within the core Source: Duan (2010)
refraction Source: Duan (2010)
A View of Earth • Earth’s spheres • Earth’s interior: description • Earth’s interior: evidence • Major features of Earth’s surface
Central America Caribbean sea
ArcticOcean Atlantic Ocean Pacific Ocean Indian Ocean All oceans and seas together = the “world ocean”
Northern Hemisphere • 61% ocean Equator Southern Hemisphere • 81% ocean http://www.uwsp.edu/geO/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/images/maps/oceans_CIA_base.jpg • BUT, on a planetary scale, the ocean is small • 0.13% of Earth’s volume • more water within Earth’s interior than in its ocean and atmosphere
Some Additional Statistics Average land elevation = 840 m Average ocean depth = 3,800 m Average ocean temperature = 3.9oC About 50% of Earth’s population lives <240 km from the ocean • In Japan, 96% of the population lives <100 km from the ocean