The Spheres of the EarthWhat are they and How do they

interact?

Earth Systems Described• Everything that happens on our planet is

part of a complex set of interactions between air, water, land, and life.

• On a global scale, each part can be thought of as a sphere, roughly the same size and shape as the planet.

• The 4 parts are called the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.

Geosphere – “Land”

*All of the rocks and “hard material” of the earth

*Consists of the core, mantle and crust of the Earth. (The Lithosphere: is the term for earth’s crust)

*Examples: Continents, ocean floor, mountains, volcanoes, rocks, sand, dust, bricks

Hydrosphere – “Water”• All of the Earth’s

water

• Contains all of the solid, liquid

and gaseous water on Earth.

• 97% of the hydrosphere is found in salty oceans.

• The remainder is found as vapor or droplets in the atmosphere & as liquid in ground water, lakes, rivers, glaciers and snowfields.

Atmosphere – “Air”• The atmosphere contains all of the Earth’s air and is divided into troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and ionosphere.

• Examples: Ozone, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, Wind

Biosphere – “Life”• The biosphere is the

collection of all Earth’s life forms.

• Life is Distributed in major life zones known as biomes: forests, deserts, and marine.

• EXAMPLES:  Humans, animals, plants, microbes (bacteria), Fungus

Interactive Image of the Earth’s Sphereshttps://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/investigations/es0103/es0103page02.cfm?chapter_no=investigation

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/dynamic/session4/sess4_interactions.htm

Class ActivityExample:  

https://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/investigations/es0103/es0103page03.cfm?chapter_no=investigation

How do the Spheres interact on Earth?1. Use the different Earth images provided. In small 

groups:  Identify what parts in the image represent each of the four spheres. 

(Use the questions on the following slide to work on your image.)

2. Each group will write down their answers for the teacher and then present their findings to the class.

Identifying the Spheres in your Image

Use the following questions: A. List the major features in the image

and tell which sphere each one represents.

B. Describe sphere interactions you can infer from the scene.

https://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/investigations/es0103/images/es0103_p5_smlfire_b.jpg

More Image Examples