Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
Cryosphere:
The
cryosphere
is composed of all the ice found on earth's surface.
While closely tied to the hydrologic system, the cryosphere can be examined sep-
arately because of how massive amounts of surface ice affect the weather and cli-
mate systems.
Biosphere:
All the organic materials on earth — both living and dead organisms —
are part of the
biosphere.
Geosphere:
The solid, rocky layers of the earth, from the outermost crust to the
very center, compose the planet's
geosphere.
Within the geosphere, scientists
have further divided the layers of rock material, which I describe in the next sec-
tion of this chapter.
Figure 4-1:
The five
major spheres of
earth's planetary
system.
The earth's spheres are connected to one another through a series of interactions. For
example, rainfall from the hydrosphere causes movement of surface materials in the
geosphere (a process called
erosion,
which I describe in Part IV). Rainfall also provides
water for plants to grow in the biosphere. The interactions among spheres can be stud-
ied as subsystems of the earth. An example of a subsystem is the
climate system,
which
is influenced by the interaction of atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and possibly
even geosphere.
